


I See Fire

by asolii



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Ahri is in heat, Alternate Universe - K/DA (League of Legends), And very stubborn, F/F, Kai'sa being a respectful sweetheart, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 16:21:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28709616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asolii/pseuds/asolii
Summary: “I didn’t take my pills this month.”“What?” Eve snaps up from her magazine. She stills, her glowing eyes narrowing, and Ahri can feel the air thickening instantly. She holds her breath as she matches Evelynn’s stare with a steady gaze.“My suppressants. The doctor told me not to. I didn’t take them.”“Why wouldn’t you – “ In slow-motion, Ahri watches realization wash over her friend, jaw slacking, “…You’re going to go into heat?”--Ahri braces herself to go into heat for the first time in a while. She thought she had everything under control - until everything seems to go wrong. Luckily (and unfortunately) for her, there's one person who happens to come back home.
Relationships: Ahri/Kai'Sa (League of Legends), Akali/Evelynn (League of Legends)
Comments: 95
Kudos: 584





	1. Kindling

**Author's Note:**

> Ah yes, I have fallen down the Kahri rabbit hole after lurking in twitter for too long.
> 
> please regard ahri's heat with a grain of salt. It's neither fully aligned with descriptions of omegaverse heat or biological canine heat.

It’s a warm winter morning where sunlight glows into the living room of the busy K/DA household. Ahri is curled on the couch with a cup of camomile tea cradled in her hands, her tails cosily curled around her figure. She’s humming with content as she takes a sip and looks over fondly at her other three teammates, each awaiting their rides with varying sizes of suitcases

Evelynn is idly flipping through a fashion magazine whilst leaning against the other end of the couch, her four suitcases and two duffel bags (which are a tad bit _much_ , Ahri muses, but she won’t ever say that out loud unless she has a death wish) lined up next to her in a perfect line. Kai’sa’s one purple suitcase is also next to the collection, but the owner is kneeled down in the middle of all the clothes strewn on the floor, helping the maknae who has yet to finish packing.

Akali’s face is tinged red in frustration from her many attempts of trying to punch down her clothes into the suitcase. She huffs, blowing a stray lock of hair off her face, as she tries to wrangle her puffer jacket on top of the ever growing pile, “These _stupid_ clothes refuse to fit into this _stupid_ bag –“

Kai’sa shakes her head, taking out one item at a time out, calmly chiding the maknae “’Kali, you just need to organize it better.” In the process of uncovering the many things Akali seemed to stuff into the suitcase, Kai’sa stops when she uncovers the poorly thrown in pile of kunais at the bottom of the suitcase. “Are these all necessary?”

Akali nods vigorously with a serious expression. “Yes, I need them when I’m in my creative process.”

Kai’sa sighs quietly and Evelynn tuts from the side, not looking up from her magazine, “That’s not going to make it an inch past airport security, darling.”

“But I need them!” Akali whines, “Qiyana seems to always be able to bring her giant hula-hoop, surely the crew knows a way.” Evelynn gives an annoyed grunt at that name that Akali doesn’t seem to catch.

“I gotta leave soon, I can’t just unpack everything again now!” The maknae’s eyes widen in panic at Kai’sa’s insistent removal of all items. Kai’sa swats at Akali’s hands which tries to toss back in the jumble of clothes and continues sorting her items – kunais reluctantly included – back into the suitcase much more efficently.

“Don’t bother her Akali, she’s trying to actually help you pack your bag. Unlike you who starts wrestling matches with it,” Ahri quips from the couch, which is immediately met with an unamused glare from Akali and a middle finger. Kai’sa is quietly folding clothes but Ahri catches the corner of her lips twitch up at the remark and it makes the gumiho grin wider.

Before Akali can come up with a snarky comeback, Evelynn cuts in with a question, “Darling, when is Yasuo coming to pick you up?”

The maknae pauses, then scratches the back of her neck, “Uhh maybe like in fifteen minutes? Ten?” As soon as she finishes her sentence, two, loud doorbell chimes echo through the house. Akali’s face drops.

“Oh shit.” Akali’s up in a frenzy, grabbing her (now perfectly packed) luggage from Kai’sa and giving a hurried hug, “I owe you big time Bokkie!”

She squeezes past Eve’s many suitcases to arrive in front of Ahri, and gives her a hug as well (of course, with a dramatic eye roll of reluctance before she opens her arms. Ahri knows the maknae loves her though.) Then she clambers between Eve’s collection of suitcases again, toppling two of them over, to give Eve a hug and a quick kiss to the cheek before the diva has the time to even react.

“Bye losers! I’ll see you guys soon!” Akali beams with an energetic wave and she’s out. The door slams shut, and a blanket of quiet settles in the living room.

The maknae’s absence feels large in the silence that ensues, but before it grows too big, Kai’sa soft laugh breaks it: “Well there she goes.” 

Eve, who has been frozen since Akali’s quick departure, snaps out of her trance and huffs, “She doesn’t ever seem to fail being late. I didn’t even get to warn her to avoid going near that skank she keeps mentioning.” Ahri shares a knowing look with Kai’sa.

“I don’t think Qiyana would dare do anything to Akali if she knew what was best for her.” Ahri comments with Kai’sa’s hum of agreement. “I think everyone’s heard by now what you did to that poor staff member who was too close to ‘Kali during her sound check.”

“That bitch was breathing down her neck,” Eve hisses, bristling at the memory.

“She was checking her mic, Eve. You almost skinned that girl for doing her job.” Ahri snorts, her tails flicking dismissively. “‘Kali’s going to be fine.”

Eve mutters something under her breath Ahri chooses to ignore. Instead, her attention turns towards Kai’sa, who’s moved off the floor and jumped onto the couch next to Ahri. Ahri’s tails move almost on instinct, shifting around and welcoming Kai’sa into the circle, who leans into the embrace with a smile. “When is your ride coming, Bokkie?”

“Soon, probably in the next five minutes.” Kai’sa strokes one of the tails absent-mindedly, which sends light shivers down Ahri’s spine. Then she looks up and Ahri has nothing to prepare against the sudden wide, puppy-dog eyes Kai’sa shoots her out of nowhere. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay alone?”

Ahri’s heart stutters at the way Kai’sa’s eyes look heavy with guilt, because oh so sweet Kai’sa is of course guilty about leaving Ahri alone in the house while everyone else left. Ahri’s fingers twitch by her side, almost reaching out to smooth the wrinkle between Kai’sa’s pinched brows but she stops herself before she can do anything.

(She finds herself stopping herself from touching Kai’sa more and more these days. Her fingers are restless whenever she finds a lame reason to just _feel_ Kai’sa, and only Kai’sa, under fingertips. When she’s cooking, or showing the team their new choreo, or when they’re the only two in the studio room. Ahri’s never one to lack in PDA but with the dancer her chest stirs and stomach flips in ways unexplainable and she needs to stop herself because she just knows touching Kai’sa is not going to make the feeling any better.

Maybe worse.

Ahri prefers not to think too much about it.)

“I’m gonna be fine,” she smiles softly. When Kai’sa’s worried frown doesn’t recede, she adds teasingly, “Besides, I’m actually looking forward to having the whole house to myself. Going to be nice and peaceful for once.”

She receives a punch on the shoulder for that one. “Hey!”

“Don’t lie to me, I know you’re going to miss me.” Kai’sa is pouting but her eyes are twinkling and the warm feeling comes creeping back into Ahri’s ribcage.

“Maybe Eve. A bit of Akali. But I dunno about you – Hey, ow!” Ahri’s laughing now, as Kai’sa pokes at her sides, her mock affronted expression crumbling from laughter as well. Ahri’s giggling while squirming away from Kai’sa’s half-hearted assault, “Stop, I’m going to spill my tea!”

Their banter is cut abrupt when Evelynn clears her throat from the other end of the couch. “Hate to break your frolicking, lovebirds,” Eve raises an eyebrow pointedly at Ahri, mainly because Kai’sa refuses to look at either of them, the tips of her ears colouring red, “But darling I think your ride is here.”

Kai’sa perks up, “Oh.” She sheepishly rises from the couch, Ahri’s tails unfurling from her waist, “My time to go then.”

She leans down to give Ahri a tight hug, which the gumiho reciprocates, and another for Evelynn. All the while, she’s mumbling things for her two teammates, a mixture of half-concern, half-tease: “Ahri, make sure you eat properly even when you’re busy okay? Flaming hot Cheetos doesn’t count as a meal.” Ahri gives a non-committal hum at that, her tail giving a light flick in disagreement. “Eve, please don’t try to kill anyone on set this time. Last time that happened we almost got a lawsuit.” Eve shrugs. “Both of you, call me if there’s any trouble, okay?”

Ahri grins with a sarcastic salute “Yes, ma’am.” Even Evelynn gives a soft chuckle and a nod, which Kai’sa nods approvingly. Ahri tries not to laugh at how dorky (adorable) the dancer looks with her purple beanie with a pompom pulled over her head and scarf bundling the girl up like she’s ready for war.

“Love you guys, see you later!” And just like that, it’s only Eve and Ahri left.

The presence of Eve alone in the room slowly eases Ahri, a familiar warmth of comfort trickling in. Contrary to what the media loves to paint – a sweetheart popstar with “clashing values” against the demanding diva – Ahri is admittedly quite close with Evelynn. Sure, they’ve had some unfortunate encounters and a tumultuous relationship back when they were both snarky and too stubborn to give into the other. Minus the times she’s almost clawed Evelynn’s eyes out, and when she was very close to becoming an eight-tailed fox instead of nine, she’s grateful it has never escalated into anything further.

Ahri’s honestly thankful for Evelynn’s being here more times than not. Akali might bring the spirit and Kai’sa might be the more than official peacemaker, but Evelynn has been able to ground Ahri when things were less than pretty in the earlier stages of forming K/DA. It’s only Evelynn, another demon who wants to make it big time in this society run by humans, who can truly see the crushing weight of expectations against Ahri’s shoulders. Not only does she acknowledge the burden, but Evelynn _understands_ Ahri – the way she will never let anyone else take this weight from her, because it’s solely _hers_.

Evelynn understands, and Ahri thinks it’s because she’s a bit like that too. Both of them relish the daunting weight of success building onto their shoulders, almost heavy enough to outweigh their past guilts of succubus life that they mourn when the nights are too dark.

Ahri thinks it’s only right to at least let Evelynn know, of all people, something she been itching to tell since the start of the month. She loves Kai’sa and Akali, she really does; but Eve knows more about her than the other two combined, from all the years spent together. At some point, it became a silent promise there would be no secrets shared between them. So, the gumiho musters up her courage and clears her throat to finally blurt it out.

“I didn’t take my pills this month.”

“ _What?_ ” Eve snaps up from her magazine. She stills, her glowing eyes narrowing, and Ahri can feel the air thickening instantly. She holds her breath as she matches Evelynn’s stare with a steady gaze.

“My suppressants. The doctor told me not to. I didn’t take them.”

“Why wouldn’t you – “ In slow-motion, Ahri watches realization wash over her friend, jaw slacking, “…You’re going to go into heat?”

Ahri nods solemnly, but she can’t quite meet Eve’s eyes anymore. Suddenly the confidence she’s been trying to build for herself the past week, or even month, is crumbling from uncertainty.

“Why?”

Ahri doesn’t realize her hands are trembling until she feels hot tea slosh over the rim of her mug, onto her fingers. She takes in a shaky breath, “The doctor advised me to just… grab a holiday, and let it happen. At least once by this year. He said it might be worse if I keep avoiding it with suppressants for too long.”

Ahri can see from her peripheral Evelynn pinching the bridge of her nose. “Christ, Foxy, and you’re telling me this now? Why didn’t you– “

Ahri’s quick to add, in hopes of reassurance. “It’s not a big deal, Eve. I just need to go through it once and I’ll be back on the pills for another while longer.”

“When was the last time you’ve been in heat?” Ahri opens her mouth but closes it immediately.

The diva has set aside the magazine now. “Ahri,” Evelynn’s voice goes low, and it grates against Ahri’s chest uncomfortably. “When was the last time?”

“Just before our POP/STAR debut.” The gumiho whispers reluctantly, her ears flattening against her skull.

Evelynn hisses. “Christ.”

“You know how much I hate going through… _that_.” Ahri can’t even say the word. Even after centuries, it tastes sour on her tongue because in her ears it makes her sound so disgustingly _animal_. She’s long moved on from her succubus days, she’s been coping for centuries to fit into the human life – what’s even more, into an idolized popstar. Her heat has served nothing but a bother in the transition to human life; a painful, bi-annually scheduled one to be exact. Ahri shudders at the distant memory of her lonely popstar days before K/DA, screaming against the pillow in her cramped, dusty dormitory alone, and suddenly she has to swallow the bile rising from her throat.

“Thank god for newly developed suppressants, I got to avoid it during our debut and comeback. But I guess even modern medicine has its limits.” Ahri laughs dryly, but there is no humour in her voice.

“Darling, you know how much worse it might be this time because of how long you’ve been taking suppressants, right?” Evelynn is careful with her words, testing the weight of them before tentatively asking.

“I’m going to be alright,” Ahri’s half-convincing herself as she talks out loud. “I’ve been through the many wars and pandemics, how bad can it be?” She tries for a joke to lighten the mood, but there is no response, Ahri’s stomach churns. She hates it when she’s uncertain, but her fear grows tenfold when Evelynn is as well.

Evelynn’s voice is quiet, but not pushing, “It would be better if there was someone around to make sure you were okay.” Ahri’s grateful for the diva’s concern but she shakes her head. She’s made up her mind too long ago, and she knows Eve knows as well.

“I don’t need the girls to worry about something they don’t understand. Besides, it’s better this way. You know how I’d hate to have anyone see me in that state.” Evelynn’s golden eyes lock onto the gumiho’s crystal blue ones, and there is a long stretch of silence. The diva’s eyes are searching, almost ready to call Ahri out on her brave façade but she only sighs in the end. Evelynn looks uncharacteristically defeated; her features are schooled into something more neutral but Ahri has known her long enough to notice her friend’s jaw still tensed with displeasure.

“When is it going to arrive?”

“Maybe end of this week the earliest, but probably in the next week. I’ll be good as new by the time you guys come back.”

Before Evelynn can respond, there’s a distant honk from the driveway, and both of them know it’s Evelynn’s ride outside. The diva doesn’t make any hurried gestures to leave, however. She takes long strides in front of the gumiho who’s still on the couch and cups her hands to her cheeks. Ahri thinks idly it’s the first time the diva has touched her so close without any intentions of scratching her face off. “You need to call me if you can’t handle it – or if _anything_ goes wrong, okay? Promise me.”

“Never seen you go so soft on me, Eve, after all these centuries,” Ahri teases, but her laughter falters when she only sees Evelynn’s serious glare. She smiles weakly instead. “I promise.”

* * *

After Ahri sent all the girls off, she goes around the house cleaning up Akali’s remaining clothes littered across the floor and doing trivial house chores. It has been a while since she had the whole house to herself, so she keeps busy to not let the vast space of the mansion intimidate her. It’s late afternoon when she’s signing paperwork in her office, and the sheer amount of documents just to wrap things up with their album is distastefully large. She feels prickling under her skin, much like tiny ants crawling over her, but after a few uncomfortable seconds, the feeling dissipates as quickly as it has come. Ahri’s ears flick dismissively as she continues signing off the document, blaming her rising stress for the sensation.

Halfway into the pile, instead of prickling now, her stomach starts to twist, tying knots of her insides in slow agony. Ahri worries her lips with her fangs to stop the low groan that forms behind her throat and pushes through the last of the documents.

It must be from hunger, she assures herself calmly. She did forget to eat for the day, sans the granola bar she had after finishing her tea in the morning. If Kai’sa was here right now, Ahri can imagine the grumbling her fox ears can catch through the walls as the dancer marches upstairs to drag the gumiho down for dinner. The thought alone makes Ahri smile to herself and forget the uncomfortable feeling inside her stomach momentarily.

After setting aside the last pile with a satisfied sigh, she runs a hand tiredly through her tousled hair and peers out the window of her office. Surprised it’s already so dark, she heads downstairs to the kitchen to cook some dinner. Her body feels stiffer than usual, muscles straining as she walks downstairs, but she doesn’t think too much about it and settles on the kitchen island to check her phone for the first time today. Her eyes flicker through a few business emails and messages and then finds a long history of text messages to scroll through in her teammates group chat:

 **Akali [11:32 am] :** Got my kunais thru!!!

 **Evelynn [11:35 am] :** Impressive

 **Akali [11:40 am] :** Qiyana helped me uwu we’re both partners in crime now

 **Kai’sa [11:41 am] :** AKALI.

**Evelynn has left the chat.**

**Akali [11:42 am] :** Eve…?

 **Kai’sa [11:43 am] :** Oh boy. read the room u dimwit!!

 **Akali [11:44 am] :** AAAA IMSORRYYYY I LVOE YOU EVE COMEBACKCKK

**Kai’sa has invited Evelynn into the chat**

**Kai’sa [12:32 pm] :** Anyway

 **Kai’sa [12:33 pm] :** Can u believe it my flight got delayed for three hours!! :(

**Kai’sa has sent a photo.**

It’s a photo of Kai’sa slumped forward on top of her suitcase, pouting with her nose scrunched. Ahri softens at the sight and her thumb automatically taps the save button before continuing to scroll.

 **Evelynn [12:35 pm] :** I told you you could’ve taken my private jet instead.

 **Kai’sa [12:35 pm] :** I will NOT be flying on your gold plated jet thank u very much…

 **Akali [12:36 pm] :** Y would u turn down an offer like that!!!!!

 **Akali [12:37 pm] :** The chef there is better than airplane food n the beds are SO comfy omg

 **Evelynn [12:37 pm] :** You’ll be sleeping on the floor next time you come back.

 **Akali [12:38 pm] :** WHA?!?!!?$>?^@< #?$@#!?!?@#?$?&

 **Evelynn [12:42 pm] :** Kai darling hope you get on your flight soon I need to go to meeting now.

 **Kai’sa [12:43 pm] :** Bye Eve!! Don’t forget what I said about not killing anyone!!!

 **Akali [12:44 pm] :** LMAOO good advice

 **Akali [12:44 pm] :** I wish I can keep u company bokkie </333 but I think ekko is challenging me to super smash bros…,,, and u kno I cant turn that down!!!

**Akali has sent a photo.**

It’s a selfie of her with Ekko holding switch controllers, both of them goofily throwing peace signs.

 **Akali [12:45 pm] :** Will text u later!!!!

 **Kai’sa [12:46 pm] :** It’s ok go beat him kali

 **Kai’sa [1:14 pm] :** There is only so much I can explore in this airport

 **Kai’sa [1:50 pm] :** I think I’ve had at least three McFlurries by now…

 **Kai’sa [2:28 pm] :** _@Ahri_ are you alive? :(

Ahri feels a twinge of guilt at that message. She considers calling Kai’sa but looks up at the clock to realize it’s probably past the time Kai’sa’s delayed flight would have left. She decides to call her tomorrow morning with an apology.

The gumiho sets the phone aside and shuffles around the kitchen, humming to herself as she wonders what to cook. She hasn’t cooked in a while since Kai’sa is usually the designated chef of the K/DA household (no one forces her – they even offer to cook most times – but Kai’sa’s always insistent in making the meals. No one stops her though when she does start, because who’s to refuse her delicious cooking?) Ahri knows her cooking isn’t even a fraction of Kai’sa’s otherworldly skills but… it’s edible most times.

She opts for a simple pasta recipe she’s learned over Kai’sa’s shoulder last week and starts boiling a pot of water. She’s relieved to see some fresh vegetables inside the fridge, as well as some herbs – and realizes Akali and Eve must have gone grocery shopping the other night for her. Her tails swish happily at the sentiment and she starts moving ingredients to the chopping board as her pasta cooks on the side. She’s diced some garlic, onion, and tomatoes onto a frying pan, and hums in delight when a pleasant aroma starts to waft through the kitchen.

Ahri skips happily back and forth between the pot and the chopping board, thrilled that her cooking is smelling better than she anticipated.

It’s only when she’s almost finished with her tomato paste when black spots start to appear.

Ahri blinks. Once, twice – instead the spots start dancing in the edges of her vision. Ahri’s wooden spoon pauses stirring, her breaths coming in shakily.

It can’t be. No.

As if in response, the pain in her stomach has come back – only this time it comes in sudden, furious waves of fire, licking flames up her spine and shuddering through her body. Ahri cries out sharply, her spoon dropped onto the marble counter, sauce splattering. She’s gripping the counter, her eyes clenched shut as she tries to breathe slowly but blood thunders in her ears and everything goes white inside her head.

“Fuck.” Her hands are shaking when she turns off the stove. She growls as another lurch in her stomach makes her double down to clutch her middle.

Cutting chills shoot through her body like rusted knives. “ _Fuck_.” The gumiho is blindly grasping whatever she can as she staggers out of the kitchen. She can tell her claws are unsheathed because she feels the wooden railings splintering under her grasp as she stumbles up the stairs. The world is tilting on its axis and her skin is burning and she just can’t _breathe_. Ahri manages to shoulder open her bedroom door, and her hands are shaking so violently she can’t even lock the door.

Another lick of fire pulses through her body and her legs finally give in as she crashes onto her bed. She tries not to think about how unprepared she is; the painkillers are still in the medicine cabinet down the hall, she doesn’t have any fresh blankets or towels, and she hasn’t prepared any water or food by her bedside. She doesn’t have it in her right now to think about how she’s going to manage to retrieve any of those later.

Because right now, it’s just Ahri; alone, writhing on her bed, groaning, body aflame, head spinning and everything so, so despicably hot.

A thin layer of cold sweat has already formed on her skin as she clings to her blankets uselessly. The searing pain courses through her body so viciously that Ahri has a fleeting thought of calling Evelynn. However, she has enough conscious to recollect her thoughts and remember that Evelynn is probably busy right now, and even worse, curses herself when she realizes her phone is downstairs on the kitchen counter.

Then she hears it. Through the haze of pain clouding her senses, her face buried into her pillow, her ears twitch up.

The sound of keys jingling and opening the door.

Shuffling. The sound of soft padding footsteps that aren’t loud enough to be Akali’s. Not muted enough to be Evelynn’s.

Confirming her fears, the gumiho’s blood runs cold when she hears the familiar voice ring from downstairs.

“Ahri, I’m back!”


	2. Ignition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, so um, _wow_. Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments for the first chapter. I was honestly a bit overwhelmed at the support that I hurried to finish this chapter (don't know if I can update this quick for the next few, but time will tell). Thank you again and hope you enjoy your read.

Luck just did not seem to be on Kai’sa’s side today. Her flight got delayed three hours in the afternoon much to her disdain, she realized she forgot to bring her favourite neck pillow, she almost fell sick from the sheer amount of McFlurries she consumed – and at the end of it all, her flight got delayed _another_ two hours.

Frustrated, she contemplates grabbing a proper meal outside the airport but decides against it when she squints through the storm to spot a mob of paparazzi crowding around the vicinity – how they found out that she was here, she does not know for the life of her. As much as she loves K/DA and their success, she still hasn’t gotten accustomed to the overwhelming attention she receives. She can tolerate the eyes on her when she’s performing, and she can occasionally hold longer conversations with Blades that identify her in the streets – but holding a crowd of attention alone and _embracing_ it was something she still couldn’t quite figure out.

Kai’sa thinks it comes naturally for the other girls; Akali is easy-going, Evelynn’s cool and collected, and Ahri… As for Ahri, sometimes Kai’sa can’t look away when Ahri’s just in line of sight, her smile dazzling, posture relaxed and her whole being radiating with confidence. The gumiho never fails to be charming even under the scrutinizing gazes and flashing camera lenses; Kai’sa’s chest can’t help but bloom with awe and respect whenever she watches the leader captivate everyone in the room, including herself.

(And she can admit that maybe something akin to adoration is also mixed in with that feeling.)

Knowing Ahri’s alluring presence that’s demanded almost everywhere, Kai’sa can’t help but think it’s odd Ahri, of all people, decides to stay home this break. Usually everyone had their own personal schedules to attend: Akali with True Damage, and Evelynn with her shady underground diva work doing god knows what, and Kai’sa herself is also booked out to visit dance studios over the world that invites her as a special guest. Ahri especially is always in the air to meet with clients about her FOXY cosmetics or Charmed fragrance.

When asked about it earlier this morning, Ahri gave a nonchalant shrug and said luckily everything happened to be able to be resolved over phone, and she would much prefer to stay home for once. At that, Kai’sa wasn’t the one to show her doubts and stop her. She knows how much Ahri overworks herself; she was secretly elated at the sound of her leader taking a well-deserved break.

And much to her dismay and surprise, Kai’sa seems to be forced to take a break as well.

“Sorry miss, the flight has been decided to cancel due to weather conditions worsening over the past hour.” The flight attendant at the receptionist centre bows her head deeply, as Kai’sa stares at her, dumbstruck. “We sincerely apologize for your inconvenience.”

“You’re joking.” Kai’sa gapes at her.

“We really are sorry for this.” The lady keeps bowing her head, her thin eyebrows pinched apologetically. “We can either rebook you for the next flight, which will be probably tomorrow early morning, provided with accommodation at the nearest hotel. Or we can give you a full refund instead.”

Kai’sa’s shoulders tense, and the irritation that has been slowly scrabbling its way up inside her is close to erupting. She balls her fists and she braces herself to finally put away her usual calm demeanour, because _god_ she’s had to wait half the day for nothing. She’s almost near combusting – but stops when she fully takes in the sight of the flight attendant’s lowered head, almost cowering down with each second of silence.

Even from this angle, she can sense how worn out the woman is, and the thought of her probably already having dealt with multiple raging outbursts from customers before Kai’sa makes the anger slowly dissolve into something more like pity. She’s tired; but so was the other. Maybe even more so. Kai’sa deflates immediately with a sigh.

“Please excuse me for a moment, I’ll contact my manager quickly,” Kai’sa says simply, and the visible relief that washes over the woman’s face as she looks up and nods rapidly makes her collected patience worth it.

She rubs a tired hand over her face as she dials her manager and explains the situation. Her manager seems to hear the exhaustion in Kai’sa’s voice, because she’s silent on the other side of the line before asking, _“So what do you want to do, Kai? I don’t think it’ll be a problem if I explain it to the studios you can’t make it this time.”_

“I can’t just bail on them,” the dancer argues weakly. “They’ve been waiting for weeks.”

_“I think they’ll understand considering how much you’ve been working for the comeback.”_

“But – “

_“Kai’sa, I can tell you’re really tired right now. Not just tonight, but even during promotions.”_ Kai’sa doesn’t respond, so her manager continues, _“I think it’s best if you take a break before you start working again, yeah? I can’t have my idol pass out on me.”_

Kai’sa gives a small chuckle, “I am not going to collapse anytime soon.” She pauses, before adding, “I guess it won’t hurt for a break. Thanks so much, unnie.”

_“I can search a flight for the Maldives right now. Or maybe Bali? Or are you more of a mountain person than the beaches?”_ Kai’sa laughs, shaking her head even though her manager couldn’t see her. Her luck may have run out for the day but she’s extremely fortunate to have a manager like hers. She makes a mental note to herself to send over a batch of manager unnie’s all-time favourite peanut butter cookies as a thanks later.

“I’ll be alright. Ahri’s home alone, I think I’ll surprise her.” The dancer’s mood is lifted instantly at the thought of spending the break with her favourite gumiho. She ends the call with a few more thanks and returns to the receptionist promptly to receive her refund. Kai’sa is suddenly giddy at the thought of going back home, and her pace quickens as her suitcase wheels rattle behind her.

* * *

She takes a while longer to arrive, having forgotten about the paparazzi and foolishly stepping outside the airport (she faces the cameras with an impatient smile, and manages to escape after no longer than ten minutes). She also decided to swing by Ahri’s favourite patisserie on the way to grab the gumiho’s favourite strawberry chocolate tart to add to the surprise. So, after another hour to her trip, she finally arrives, her cheeks pink from the wind and rain and hands full of her suitcase and sweets.

“Ahri, I’m back!” She calls out as she settles her suitcase by the side and takes off her wet beanie.

However, when she doesn’t hear a reply, she tilts her head in confusion and walks through the living room. It was very unlike the gumiho to have missed her voice, and there was no way Ahri’s asleep this early. Unless she’s in her office completely distracted, Kai’sa notes with a hint of annoyance. If she is, Ahri is about to get an earful from Kai’sa for not taking a break like she promised.

She saunters towards the kitchen to put away the box of tart first – but stiffens as she takes in the aroma of… pasta sauce? She’s stashed the tart in the fridge then walks over to the stove to find a pan full of tomato sauce, untouched. Next to it is a pot of bloated pasta still sitting in the now lukewarm water. Kai’sa doesn’t know what to make of it, studying the scene in silence. That is, until her gaze zeroes in on the wooden spoon lying not too far from the stove. What’s more curious is the specks of sauce around the area – as if it was dropped. Abandoned.

“Ahri?” The dancer calls out once more, her voice uneasy this time. The house replies in deafening silence.

Kai’sa grows more anxious as she flings off her damp coat and scarf onto a chair and makes a beeline towards the stairs. The moment her hands are on the railing however, she feels it first before she sees it. When her fingers feel rough splintered wood she flinches away, as if burnt. Her eyes widen in terror at the visible claw marks splitting the wood through the grain, all along the railing.

“Ahri!” This time, her voice is louder, more frantic. She’s stomping up the stairs and her chest tightens as her mind races through all kinds of worse-case-scenarios. Did someone else enter the house? Did she get into a fight? Was she taken away? Even the symbiote on her shoulders seem to awaken at her sudden spike in distress and chirps in alarm.

Kai’sa almost breaks down the door to Ahri’s office, and her face pales at the sight of it empty. She’s almost close to tears now, panic running her blood cold. Then her symbiote on her shoulder pings; a command to stop. The dancer doesn’t take the rare warnings from her symbiote lightly; Kai’sa stills immediately, trying to steady her escalating breathing.

The silence stretches again eerily – it doesn’t sit right in the ever-clamorous K/DA household. Kai’sa’s about to break into a run again but she hears something faint in the distance. She knows she hasn’t imagined it, because the symbiote on her shoulders give a twirl of acknowledgement as well. She’s back at the long stretch of hallway leading to many bedrooms, but her eyes are only focused on the particular one at the end of the hall.

She approaches slowly, her heart beating in her throat when she finally reaches the door. “Ahri?”

She hears it again, this time clearer than before, but still muffled through the door. A low, guttural groan.

Kai’sa’s chest sinks slowly; It’s an unfamiliar noise but unmistakably from Ahri. Anxiety tightens its vice grip on her lungs as she raps her knuckles on the door three loud times. “Ahri? Are you okay?”

Kai’sa has to strain her ears to hear the weak reply. “M’fine.”

“You don’t sound so well.” Kai’sa presses her palms on the door to lean in closer, awaiting a reply nervously. She gets none, instead, she strains her ears to hear only rustling blankets. Kai’sa can’t help it; she’s still petrified of the many scenarios that her overthinking has already instilled images in her mind – she _needs_ to see Ahri to make sure she’s okay.

“Ahri, I’m coming in.”

She’s already stepped halfway into Ahri’s room when she’s met with a frantic jumble of stammering, “ _No_ , I’m really okay, really, don’t –“

At that, Kai’sa’s hesitates, and she last second decides against barging into the room and instead peeks her head. The room is warm and smells faintly sweet; a luscious scent of cherry blossoms and cedarwood tickles her nose. Kai’sa doesn’t pay much attention to it though – After all, Ahri is an owner of a fragrance line. It was probably one of her new products. Her eyes scan the bed, and she can barely make out the lump that is Ahri under the blankets, a tousle of blond hair peeking out. She lets out a small breath of relief at the sight of Ahri alone though.

“Foxy, are you okay? Are you feeling sick?” Kai’sa asks gently, and she’s about to take another step into the room when she’s met with a piercing, sharp hiss.

“Kai’sa.” She can barely make out Ahri’s muffled croak against the pillow. “Please go away.”

The dancer stops mid-step. Reluctantly, she shrinks back. She’s trying not to let the hurt that’s welling up in her throat show in her voice as she asks instead quietly, her eyebrows knit in concern, “Ahri, what’s wrong?”

“I’m just.” The body shifts again on the bed, and if Kai’sa wasn’t listening in carefully she would have missed the shaky breath before continuing. “I’m feeling a bit under the weather.”

Even muffled against the pillows, Kai’sa can tell her friend’s voice is rough and gravelly, nothing like it was this morning. Despite her frustration however, Kai’sa’s legs are obediently rooted to the spot even though it wants nothing more than to bound over to the side of the bed to check on her friend. She instead shifts her weight on her feet anxiously as she stands at the door, unsure of what to do.

“Have you had anything to eat today?” She’s craning her neck to see if Ahri is going to look up, even once, but the lump under the blankets doesn’t seem to make any big gestures, except the occasional shifting of limbs. “Would you like me to finish the pasta you’ve made and bring it up for you?”

Kai’sa waits patiently but no reply comes.

“Ahri, talk to me. Please. What’s wrong?”

“Kai’sa, just please –“ Kai’sa recoils when her friend’s voice cracks into a keening wail, the body under the blanket suddenly twisting jarringly.

“ _Ahri!_ ” Before she can think, her feet move on their own accord. She’s taken two long strides but stumbles to back to a sudden stop when flickering blue flames flash out mid-air to block her path. “What the – “

She’s seen it twice before. First was when the studio lights went out during their POP/STAR debut practice and Ahri reluctantly had to use it to help the girls from stumbling over each other. Second time was when the Ahri came out of her office after a particularly demanding business call. Kai’sa had heard it all, even through the thick walls of the office; the rising voices, the threatening growls, and the heavy sighs that followed. She had waited outside patiently in hopes to check up on the leader but was met with an unexpected surprise when the door opened. A swirling set of electric blue flames surrounded around Ahri’s drooping body, dancing in a circle.

She remembers pointing it out, and the haggard gumiho looking up and apologizing sheepishly, making them disappear with a wave of her tail. She remembers what the other called them.

“Foxfire…?” Kai’sa squints at the flares of cerulean colours in front of her forming a barricade. The flames seem to have a mind of their own, just like her symbiote, and inches forward threateningly. Kai’sa takes another step back but they continue slinking towards her.

“Ahri, please. Let me help,” Kai’sa tries, but the gumiho doesn’t respond from her position still slumped under the covers while the fires advance on her, ushering the dancer towards the door. Kai’sa tries desperately to peer over the foxfire, searching for the gumiho’s face. Then there’s another wail, suppressed forcibly against a pillow, but still loud enough to sends tremors down her spine.

Kai’sa is fully freaking out now. “Ahri! Fuck, god, I – Are you okay?! Should I call the ambulance?”

“No.” Another groan escapes behind the gumiho’s panting words. “Don’t.”

“You’re clearly in pain, I’m not letting you just–“

“Kai’sa.”

Ahri shifts, and Kai’sa’s words dry on her tongue as her friend shakily props herself up. Kai’sa’s stomach plummets sickeningly when she finally sees her friend. Ahri’s hair cascades down her face messily but Kai’sa can see even from where she is the cold beads of sweat clinging on her hairline, her complexion a sickly pale colour that makes her rosy cheeks stand out strikingly. But her eyes – they’re not the bright azure Kai’sa recognizes. It’s glowing a fierce shade of _amber_. And yet, despite the fierce colour, Ahri’s eyes are far-away. Unfocused.

“Why are your eyes –“

“Please, get out.” The words come out in thick syllables, and her begging words hang heavy in the air between them. Ahri croaks out weakly again. “Please.”

Kai’sa’s jaw gapes uselessly. She can’t find the right words to say, except her heart imploring against Ahri’s wish, for her to _stay_. Except she’s forced to take trembling steps backwards from the foxfire, and her eyes are still locked onto Ahri’s on the other side of the room helplessly. Kai’sa can tell Ahri’s breaths come out in staggering pants because of the way her whole torso shudders with each breath.

The gumiho hisses lowly, and Kai’sa flinches when she notices Ahri’s fangs are visible this time. “Stay away from me.”

“Ahri, why?” She’s the one begging now. Kai’sa’s hurt – but more than that, she’s _confused_. “Why won’t you let me help?”

“Get out.”

There’s a finality to Ahri’s snarl, vicious and demanding; a voice Kai’sa has never heard directed to her before. “ _Now_.”

Kai’sa’s teeth are clenched from unsaid questions as she stumbles backwards the remaining few steps out the door from the lurching foxfires. She numbly retracts her body from the room, and it’s only when the door clicks close, she hears Ahri’s body slump back onto the bed with another distant groan.

Kai’sa lingers at the door for a few more seconds, before turning away, her shoulders sagging.

She goes back down the stairs wordlessly, her feet moving automatically. She arrives at the living room and slowly, sinks into the couch. Her body goes limp, and her head, previously full of white noise, jolts from the onslaught of thoughts and emotions that seem to invade her all at once to decipher the situation. Kai’sa squeezes her eyes shut to recollect what just happened, with the bigger question of _why_ , but no conclusion comes to mind. Rather, Kai’sa swallows thickly to push down the hurt that incessantly tries to peek out from the repeated rejection she faced in the room.

At heart, she knows Ahri would never intentionally hurt her; and the way Ahri’s golden eyes were _aching_ when she begged Kai’sa to leave doesn’t slip from her mind easily.

Kai’sa shakes her head to clear the fog; no, this won’t do. Her thoughts are everywhere. She starts over. The most prominent thing she knows for certain, is that Ahri was in pain. That sole fact alone makes Kai’sa rise back on her feet. Because to hell with it, she was not going to just sit here and ignore it, whether the gumiho liked it or not.

She clambers up the stairs again, this time heading straight to the medicine cabinet. Evelynn has always been the one to manage this cabinet, mostly due to Akali recklessly getting hurt on numerous counts, so Kai’sa is completely disorientated when it comes to where anything is. She sifts through different packaging luckily without much difficulty, her eyes scanning labels one after another and taking those that sound familiar. Finally, Kai’sa settles on an admittedly excessive collection of paracetamol, ibuprofen, and cough drops of three different flavours.

Before going back down, she takes a swift glace at the door on the other side of the hall. No amount of staring budges the firmly shut door, so Kai’sa turns back with a sigh and heads towards the kitchen.

Her thought to retrieve water is quickly cut short at the sight of the pan and pot still standing cold on the stove. She sets her pack of medicine on the island and pads over to the abandoned cooking area to clean up. Kai’sa doesn’t waste more time than necessary putting everything back in the fridge and wiping the countertop. She has her tall glass of water ready now, and she’s rounding over to the kitchen island to take the medicine and head up – until a brightly lit up screen catches her attention.

It’s Ahri’s phone. Kai’sa knows she shouldn’t be snooping on others privacy, but her eyes can’t help flit over the notification shining on the screen:

**You have 5 missed call(s) from Evelynn.**

She frowns. Evelynn is never someone to call more than once. Kai’sa knows Evelynn doesn’t like to waste time with someone who wastes hers. She is suddenly concerned that Evelynn might be planning to rip Ahri’s tails off at her absence and quickly decides to call the diva from her own phone.

_“Hello, darling.”_ Kai’sa is taken aback at the nonchalance in Evelynn’s voice. She clears her throat and sets the glass aside for her fingers to start tapping on the marble counter nervously.

“Hey, so, um.” She doesn’t know where to even start, she realizes, and pauses mid-sentence.

Evelynn must have sensed something is wrong because she is quick to ask, _“Kai, darling? Are you okay?”_

“No, no, I’m fine,” Kai’sa takes a deep breath, “I saw you called Ahri a couple of times – I didn’t mean to look, sorry. I just got worried and wanted to call you back instead of her.”

Then there’s a sweep of silence that fills the other end of the line. Kai’sa grimaces, scared she has stepped out of line. “Eve?”

Evelynn’s voice is suddenly an octave lower, hushed. “ _Why are you back home?_ ”

“What?” Of all things Kai’sa was bracing herself for, that was not one of them. “I – uh my flight got cancelled. Why?”

The diva’s whisper crescendos with each syllable, “ _Kai’sa you shouldn’t be there_.”

“What do you mean?” She suddenly feels small at the sharpness at Eve’s words. Kai’sa asks, bewildered. “Why not?”

Evelynn ignores her question for her own instead. _“Is she okay? Did you see her?”_

“No, Ahri’s _not_ okay, she’s – “ Kai’sa cuts off midway. Her fingers stop tapping.

There’s a frightening pause on both ends of the call.

Kai’sa’s fingers are flexing, curling into a fist until her knuckles turn chalk white. Her hand is shaking, and white, hot fury swells inside the pit of her stomach. “You _knew_ what she was going to go through.”

It comes out more of an accusation than a question. When Evelynn doesn’t answer immediately, and something snaps inside Kai’sa, “You knew what was going to happen and didn’t stay for her? Or even bother to tell any of us?”

Evelynn’s response is flat, neither defensive nor apologetic _“She told me not to. She doesn’t want anyone there.”_

“Eve,” Kai’sa is pacing around the kitchen, agitated, and suddenly her eyes are stinging when her voice come out hoarse, “Eve, she’s in so much pain right now. How can you just _leave_ her like that?”

There’s a pause. Then Kai’sa hears the long, pained sigh from the other end. _“Fuck.”_

“That’s what I should be saying.” Kai’sa teeth clench tightly and her other hand wipes at her eyes furiously. She’s so _mad_ at Evelynn for leaving not only her in the dark, but most importantly, leaving Ahri when she _knew_. She knew and did _nothing_ , and Kai’sa feels so sick she wants to fling her phone against the wall. Disbelief pierces her voice as she spits out, “God, what the _fuck_ , Eve?”

_“Kai’sa, listen to me –“_

“I don’t want to hear your excuses –“

_“ – Kai’sa, darling, please –”_

“ – You should’ve at least told me, or someone else, so –“

_“Kai’sa.”_

Kai’sa’s body is heaving heavily when she finally stops talking. She leans her head against the wall, appreciating the coolness against her forehead, and closes her eyes.

_“Please, listen to me.”_ Evelynn’s voice doesn’t hold even a hint of hurt or annoyance, which Kai’sa feels rather irked by, but doesn’t have the energy to start another fight over. The diva’s words are nonetheless heavy with guilt, pleading for a chance. _“Kai’sa, you need to trust me when I say I didn’t know it was going to happen so early. I was planning to come home in time for it.”_

Kai’sa’s voice is still low with accusation, “But you _knew_ it was going to happen.”

_“Yes. She told me about it before I left, but she told me it would arrive later this week the earliest. I knew she wanted to be alone, but I had my flight booked to be back by Friday anyway.”_ Eve pauses, before adding _“She specifically didn’t want you and Akali to know about it.”_

“But… why? What is this all about?” Kai’sa’s asks feebly. “Why couldn’t have I known to be there for her?”

_“Kai’sa, I want you to listen carefully to what I say.”_ Kai’sa awaits the next words with bated breath. “ _Ahri is in heat right now.”_

Her mind blanks, unable to process. She scowls, echoing. “She’s in heat?”

_“Have you ever heard of canines going in heat?”_

“Yes, I’ve had a dog before, that’s when – Oh.“ Kai’sa turns a deep crimson and she’s suddenly extremely grateful Evelynn can’t see her face right now. The blood rushing to her head dizzies her to the point she has to go back to the stool besides the kitchen island to sit down.

Once sat, she repeats stupidly. “Oh.”

_“You can assume why it’s not exactly something Ahri would want to discuss openly,”_ Evelynn sighs. Kai’sa can barely form a word, her brain suddenly into overdrive, but nevertheless the diva continues explaining, _“She goes through a lot of pain during heat, but she can’t ingest any painkillers until the heatwaves have fully died down, or it will make it worse.”_

Kai’sa’s frown deepens at the statement, her hand absent-mindedly crinkling the packaging of the pills she previously collected. “Is there no other option?”

_“She can get sexual relief from someone.”_ Evelynn answers, without even a hint of shame, it takes Kai’sa a second to register the words. When she does, her mouth dries and she has to physically bury her burning face behind her palm. She has an overwhelming urge to slam her head against the marble counter because she’s such an _idiot_ for asking.

As if Evelynn can sense the embarrassment on the other end, she chuckles softly, _“Don’t worry, darling. I don’t think Ahri was planning on having sex either tonight. She would never forgive herself if she found out someone slept with her just to relieve her.”_

Kai’sa takes in a shaky breath, nodding, “Okay, so is there anything I can do?”

_“I’ll try and reschedule my flight to come home as fast as I can, but for now, you have to leave her alone.”_

The dancer opens her mouth to interject, but she’s met with Evelynn’s stern voice persisting.

_“The longer she is in heat, the more she can’t control. Kai’sa, I know you, and I understand how much you want to help her, but you need to listen to me.”_ Evelynn’s talks slowly and carefully, letting each word sink into Kai’sa’s ears. _“Do not, **ever** , open the door.”_

Kai’sa falters at that, her voice coloured helpless, “But Eve… I can’t just stand outside and do nothing.”

“ _Darling, I want you to remember that Ahri is not human. You can’t expect her to be herself right now, she is unpredictable, and I don’t want you to get hurt from her magic.”_ Images of the flares of blue foxfire Kai’sa saw in the room flash before her eyes, but the scenes only make her go numb with cold. She doesn’t respond to Evelynn and instead draws out a long, defeated sigh.

Evelynn continues carefully, _“I’m sorry, Kai. She’s going through a lot right now, and the most you can do for her is just be there for her at the end of it all. Okay?”_

Kai’sa stares at the pile of medicine in front of her. All useless. Just as she is.

She mumbles, “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to point out three things before I wrap it up:
> 
> 1\. I am not sure how many of you actually play League of Legends (I think many are into K/DA but not necessarily the game), so I wanted to clarify what kind of "magic" Ahri's character has. As you might guess, Foxfire is one of her abilities, which is essentially blue flames encircling her and attacking enemies. I don't want to give any spoilers but... just note that another one of her abilities is a 'charm', that immobilises the opponent and makes them... well, charmed.
> 
> 2\. This ambiguous "heat" thing is getting more confusing by the chapter, I know. I hope you guys can just bear with my version that: it's bi-annual, lasts for half a week to a week, the first day the most painful and lessening with each following day, (think of menstrual cycles...? + being h*rny)
> 
> 3\. I am thiiiiinking the story is going to end up in four chapters. Give or take one. Again, no promises on update schedules.
> 
> Have a lovely day!


	3. Ablaze

_Why was Kai’sa back?_

Ahri rolls over to her side for the umpteenth time, biting down on her lip brutally. She tries to focus on the stinging of her lips, the taste of coppery tang of blood. Her eyes are squeezed shut, and her breath is getting harder to catch every time she has to clench her jaw to not let out the splitting scream swelling from her throat.

Her clothes have long gone damp from the sweat that sticks uncomfortably to every inch of her body. At one point, she flung her blankets off the mattress with fitful kicks because they felt like thorns against her sensitive skin. Everything is on fire; Ahri desperately attempts to seek a cooler surface and her limbs flail with every jerky turn, but even her bedsheets are warm and soddened.

Why was she _here?_

Behind closed eyes, she can see flickers of Kai’sa’s face from before. Even through the blur of foxfire between them, Ahri could catch the flinches of her friend’s body, the drooping of shoulders and the crushed look worsening with each word the gumiho uttered.

Ahri shakes her head. She wants it gone from her mind, but behind closed eyes, the scene plays out like a film reel on loop and she wants to scream for an entirely different reason.

She remembers the dancer’s sweet doe eyes unable to conceal the hurt, and even then, her feet restless on the spot to try and help. She wonders why it couldn’t have been Eve, who knows what’s happening. Or even Akali, who probably would recognize saving her own skin first is the easier option.

No. It had to be Kai’sa.

Ahri should’ve realized she was never god’s favourite ever since she was born as a gumiho. The moment she saw Kai’sa from the other side of the room, she wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. It’s plausible to say she’s the running punch line of the upper power’s joke. That had to be it, because how else can she explain this foolish human, who’s just too _nice_ for her own good, coming back again?

She catches the far away sound of staircase creaking under footsteps. Her senses have significantly dulled through her heat – she could barely catch a single word Kai’sa was saying on the phone downstairs a minute ago, a static of incoherent sounds – but Ahri can still make out the steady walk approaching her door.

Ahri’s ears are fully perked up and her tails that have been flicking around tirelessly press flush against the bed. Another heat wave wracks from her lower belly upwards, but she swallows the pain and forces her body to stay motionless.

Her claws dig deeper into the mattress beneath. She breathes through the pain and waits.

Because she _knows_ Kai’sa, and if Ahri made any reckless noises, the girl wouldn’t hesitate to barge in again, floundering to help. She reacted badly the first time, she doesn’t know how much better the second encounter will be.

“Ahri?” The voice calls out tentatively from the other side of the door.

The said gumiho shivers against her bed, her teeth gritted to supress a hiss from a particularly strong pulse of heat climbing through her body.

“You don’t have to respond,” there’s a pause, long enough for Ahri to have a shred of hope that the dancer has finally given up, but then she hears Kai’sa draw a quivering breath. “I won’t come in again, but I want to let you know I’ll be out here if you need anything at all. I’ll be here for you.”

Ahri’s eyes snap open in disbelief, her face draining of the little colour she had left.

_No._

She would rather die than have Kai’sa outside, listening to her pathetic wailing through the door. She’s already struggling to muffle the noises as a poor attempt to reassure the dancer, but she knows her focus is bound to slip further into the night. No, she should say something; she needs to tell Kai’sa to stay away – _further_ away. A part of her tries to understand why Kai’sa refuses to leave but it simultaneously frustrates her endlessly when she knows how futile any chance of help is.

Frankly, Ahri is utterly _terrified_ right now; she was scared for herself when she was talking to Evelynn in the morning, but now she is scared _of_ herself in place of Kai’sa. Before, her foxfires even caught herself off-guard, and she’s horrified of what else she’s capable of. But her stupidly sweet Bokkie is outside her door this very second, and Ahri knows the dancer’s heart is flooding with concern that it overtakes the rational thought of safety for herself.

Ahri admits she has always held a soft spot for Kai’sa – and that is all the more reason why she cannot simply _accept_ the possibility of hurting Kai’sa (again, she thinks bitterly). She makes Ahri comfortable in ways Evelynn can’t achieve, and sometimes, so _loved_ that Ahri doesn’t know what to do with all of it. Kai’sa doesn’t ask for details when she wants to be held in her arms silently and she always seemed to know the right thing to say to help the gumiho smile after an especially grey day.

She can’t withstand the thought of ever scathing the one person in her life who gives her so much without expecting anything in return. Ahri doesn’t think she could ever live another day if she did. Or even worse, if she forced her into anything compromising when Ahri’s mind is too far gone to restrain her magic. Were that to happen – which she quells the even the mere thought of defiantly – she doesn’t think she would survive from the loathing and sheer disgust at herself.

Ahri knows she has to say something, now.

But it’s only when her mouth is finally open that the abrupt pang in her abdomen catches her off-guard – a scream rips past her lips instead.

* * *

Kai’sa jumps, and her hand instinctively grabs for the doorknob. However, before she can twist it open, Evelynn’s voice hisses in her head:

_“Do not, **ever** , open the door.”_

The bravado she desperately collected before coming upstairs is already teetering at the edge of a precipice. After the call with Evelynn, Kai’sa promised herself that she would hold it together, be strong for Ahri to be here patiently, waiting, ready to hold her when it was all over. She promised, with bitter reluctance, that she won’t open the door – for the sake of not being an unnecessary burden, to avoid becoming any more _useless_ than she feels like she is already.

The gumiho gives another broken wail, and Kai’sa can do nothing but stand there, trembling; stationary. Her hand that has been gripping the doorknob falls back to her side like dead weight.

Kai’sa lets her back slide against the door as she slumps onto the ground. She does as she promised herself – she waits. Her teeth mashed together, and all the while her stomach plummets down harder with each time she hears a cry.

* * *

Each hour passes as painfully as the previous.

The noises come sporadically:

Most times, it’s low, rumbling groans. It comes long and stretched, oozing like tar beneath the door. Sometimes there are the accompanying sound of tearing fabric, claws dragging against what seems to be pillows and bedsheets. The sound makes Kai’sa shiver violently. Her heartstrings snap in accordance to the sound of individual cotton threads.

Then at times, there’s screaming.

Shrill, cutting screams that bleed the air red. Kai’sa hates these moments the most, each cry like talons dragging down her back. It comes only quickly, but the aftermath of Ahri dissolving into breathless sobs, choking for breath isn’t any better.

Kai’sa’s nails have been biting furiously into her palms as she tries to shut out the anguish building inside of her. Her helplessness is only amplified with each sound that comes from the other side of the door, and when it’s too hard to bear, she has to bury her head in her knees and squeeze her eyes shut.

Even in these moments, she tries her best not to make any noises, worried of Ahri hearing, only letting out weak, quivering breaths once in a while.

Finally, there are times of quiet; a deceitful hush that blankets the hallway. In these moments, there is uneasiness. Kai’sa tries to assure herself the gumiho might have passed out, which might be for the best, but the silence doesn’t sit comfortably in her chest. Then she presses an ear against the door, and even if her human ear can barely catch it, her symbiote on her shoulder vibrates in affirmation. True to the symbiote, if she holds her breath, she can still make out the faint panting inside.

Kai’sa has not relaxed the entire time since she stepped into the house; her body is tense in alert even as she sits against the door. The exhaustion from the airport still thrums through her, yet her eyes do not dare to flutter close, not even for a second.

* * *

Kai’sa can’t tell how deep into the night it is by now. She blinks tiredly under the bright fluorescent hallway lights and sighs. Her fists clenches and unclenches to at least feel the sting of her palms, shaking herself out of the numbness. She is adamant to stay awake as long as it takes for her to be certain the gumiho is finally at peace.

The room has been mostly silent for a while, and she would’ve assumed Ahri had fallen asleep if it weren’t for the occasional growls and rough gasps of air. She wishes with each dreadful passing minute, that it’s over, or at the very least, the pain subsides enough for Ahri to finally fall asleep.

Her body jolts at a particularly sudden wail cracking through her thoughts. Kai’sa lowers her head, pursing her lips, because she knows what’s about to come.

Keening groans follow and she has to stop her hands from shaking uncontrollably by hugging her knees tighter to her body. The pants, the gasping sobs, and –

But… but she hears something else this time. A breathless string of whines:

“Kai’sa… Kai’sa...”

Her head jerks up immediately, eyes expanding in alarm. Before she can question herself, she hears it again.

“Kai’sa.” Another soft whimper.

It’s enough for Kai’sa to shoot up instantly on her feet, her heart in her throat. Her unused voice is hoarse as she answers, “Yes, Ahri? I’m right here, what do you need?”

Rather than a reply, she can hear another string of cries, each one harsher than the other. Kai’sa is banging the door as she calls out for the gumiho. She paces in front of the door, growing anxious.

“ _Kai’sa.”_ It comes out louder than before, broken; desperate.

She doesn’t think twice when her hand wrenches the doorknob and at last, flings open the door.

The first thing that greets Kai’sa is the rush of warm, heavy air that overflows rapidly from the room. She falters at the temperature difference, the coolness of the hallway already completely engulfed from the flood of sweltering heat. With a step, she recognizes the sickly-sweet scent from before, however now multiplied with insurmountable intensity. The rich aroma of cherry blossoms and cedarwood suffocates the air and sticks to her skin heavily with each step closer to the gumiho. The smell makes her head ping with dizziness, and she has to resort to taking shallow breaths through her mouth as she ventures into the room.

With no foxfires in sight, which Kai’sa notes with relief, the room is much darker for her eyes to adjust to. The hallway light casts behind her just enough through the open door for her to distinguish Ahri’s curled up form on the bed.

She sees blankets discarded on the foot of the bed, as well as pillows torn and shredded, lying limp with feathers spilling out from its wounds. Kai’sa swallows thickly, and finally arrives to kneel in front of the bed.

“Ahri, I’m here,” Kai’sa whispers, her trembling hands stopping mid-air, unsure of where to land.

Ahri is curled on her side, eyes screwed shut as her body buckles in pain with each mewling whimper escaping her lips. When Kai’sa’s hand places on the bedsheets, she flinches at the how damp it is. Before she can react, Ahri shifts in her spot, her head turning in just the right angle that the faraway light spills onto her face and Kai’sa freezes. She takes in the sight of Ahri’s face flushed with sweat and hair matted against her forehead, her chest rising and falling quickly. Then the gumiho’s lips, red and swollen from biting down incessantly, open to release another guttural moan, and it serves as a hefty punch straight to Kai’sa’s lower belly.

Christ.

It was one thing to listen to it behind the door, but it was another to put an image to it.

She ignores the blood pounding in her head, and she has to bite down on her lip harshly to forcefully tear her gaze away.

She doesn’t have time for this, no, she can’t. She is already wary she has broken the one distinct rule by Evelynn, entering the room. She can’t afford to lose any of her concentration now.

Kai’sa takes in a shaking breath and returns her gaze back to Ahri. There is a small part of her that’s relieved the gumiho remains half-conscious, eyes still screwed tight. Kai’sa isn’t intent on finding out what kind of other gumiho magic Evelynn was referring to.

She tentatively brushes a lock of hair from Ahri’s face and places a hand on her forehead. At the contact, Ahri’s face contorts, but Kai’sa barely notices, distracted by how much the gumiho was _burning_. Ahri’s jerks away from her hand before Kai’sa can react. It’s then she realizes Ahri is not only completely soaked with sweat, but every part of her exposed skin is flushed a shade of scarlet – she’s overheating.

Heat. Fever. Hyperthermia.

Kai’sa remembers what Evelynn warned her, she can’t feed her any painkillers.

“I’ll be right back, okay? Hang in there baby,” She whispers, rising on her feet unsteadily. Her head spins from the sudden movement, but she manages to stumble out of the room.

Kai’sa breaks out into a run across the hall, practically flying down the stairs to the kitchen to collect anything she can think of. Then she dips into the laundry room to collect a plastic basin and finally, enters towards the bathroom to grab a stack of fresh towels. While she stands in front of the sink, waiting for the basin to fill with cold water, she finally catches a moment to breathe. Her gulps of air enter her lungs much easier, the haze that was building inside her skull dissipating with each breath.

She looks up, meeting her own eyes in the mirror above the sink.

Her forehead is glimmering with sweat, and her face is an unmistakable hue of red, spreading from her cheeks to the tips of her burning ears. She grumbles to herself, blaming the heat for the furious blush tickling her skin, and splashes cold water against her face before she leaves the bathroom.

She hurries back into the room, the air as thick and uncomfortable as it was when she first entered. Kai’sa forces her breaths to steady and settles back down at the spot beside the bed, putting the basin aside.

She dampens one of the towels, squeezing out the water just enough not to let it drip. Kai’sa wavers, hesitant, standing on her knees. “Ahri, I’m going to cool you off with a towel. Is that okay?”

Ahri doesn’t respond, her eyebrows knitted together.

Kai’sa carefully dabs at Ahri’s arms first, testing for initial reaction – and much to her relief, the gumiho seems to lean into the cool contact, and lessens her shifting movements. She continues to gently wipe Ahri’s arms and legs first, wringing the towel fresh from the basin every minute or so, then moving up to her neck and cheeks. Kai’sa hesitates when the gumiho’s eyelids tremble at the towel on her face, but sighs in relief when she soon visibly relaxes under the touch. After finishing, she absent-mindedly smooths away any dishevelled locks of hair out of Ahri’s face and watches her quietly. The way her beautiful face is devoid of any liveliness, still scrunched in pain makes Kai’sa’s chest ache. The gumiho whimpers and starts to shift restlessly again at the loss of cold contact, but thankfully her skin isn’t an angry red anymore.

“Can you get up to have a sip?” Kai’sa whispers softly. There is only an indistinct growl in response, and Ahri’s eyes still remain shut tight. It was a long shot, she thinks with a sigh, and puts the bottle of water she’s brought on her bedside stand.

She kneels down to soak another fresh towel of cold water. She twists the excess water out, and she’s folding it around the ice pack on her lap, until she realizes the unusual quiet.

She hesitantly looks up.

Kai’sa yelps in surprise, toppling backwards onto her butt. Her eyes widen at the pair of amber eyes staring at her, glowing in the shadows.

“Ahri,” She manages to breathe out, “You’re awake.”

She gulps, her muscles rigid, as she braces herself. She anticipates yelling – or even a flash of foxfires to devour her on the spot – but Ahri doesn’t answer, her eyes boring into her intensely. Kai’sa slowly wonders if the gumiho even recognizes her through her glassy eyes.

Ahri’s body is still heaving with her pants, but the gumiho’s tails start to sway slowly, almost _sensually_ , and all nine spread out like peacock feathers behind her. Her half-lidded gaze doesn’t break, looking down at Kai’sa as she props herself up.

“A-Ahri?” Kai’sa stammers, her body frozen from the spot she’s fallen backwards. A thick pause hangs between the two, and each second holding Ahri’s gaze for some reason makes her stomach flip and head spin harder than it ever did entering this room.

The spell is broken when Ahri closes her eyes, doubling down with a short cry of pain. Kai’sa snaps back into focus and hurries back up forward to her. Her hands all over the place, grabbing the towel then reaching for the bottle, while she rambles frantically, “Shit. Ahri, you’re still overheating. Here, have some water, I’ll give you an icepack you can hold and –“

“Kai’sa.”

Kai’sa stops. Something inside her screams, she shouldn’t look up. She _shouldn’t_ – She won’t ever get out of it if she meets her eyes.

But despite everything in her saying no, her chin tilts up, allured by a strong, magnetic attraction.

She knows she’s gone the second she looks into Ahri’s eyes; the sliver of honey gold around her fully blown pupils gleams spectacularly in the dark. The dancer swallows thickly when she realizes Ahri has fully sat up now to face Kai’sa at eye-level. There is not a single trace of hostility from earlier in her eyes, rather her gaze is darkened with what the dancer recognizes as painfully clear lust. Despite her inner conscience fumbling to regain control, her thoughts waft away, dissolving into a hazy fog. Kai’sa’s mind utterly blanks and her eyes refuse to stray lower at Ahri’s wet clothes clinging onto her frame in a way that should _not_ be as erotic as it looks right now.

She tries to curl her fingers, but they merely twitch by her side and the bottle drops aimlessly to the ground. The distant panic morphs into horror when she fully registers how her muscles refuse to move under her command.

Her symbiote behind her shoulders is chirping in alarm, vibrating in heightened frequency, but realization comes in much too late, her head swimming in the scent and body is numb and detached beneath her head.

“ _Kai’sa_.” The way Ahri calls out her name, rough and breathless, ignites a fire in Kai’sa’s stomach.

“Come closer.” Her body jerks back first, her mind begging for control, but her foot takes a step forward.

And another. Her movements are jagged and slow, a puppet on broken marionette’s strings.

Ahri’s tails splay out behind her as she whispers, her fingers finding the hem of Kai’sa’s shirt and tugging. “Touch me. Please.”

Kai’sa’s mouth is dry, and her tongue feels too thick in her mouth. She is scrambling onto her last threads of consciousness, begging. “Ahri, please. You’re not in your right state of mind.”

Kai’sa is so close to Ahri now, her body having moved against her will. Even without contact, the dancer can feel the warmth emanating from her body in this proximity. Her eyes are still locked in with Ahri’s glassy ones and she watches the gumiho’s forehead wrinkle when she furrows her eyebrows, fighting off what seems to be another wave of pain.

Kai’sa’s insides lurch at Ahri’s voice cracking into a whimper.

“ _Kiss_ me, Kai’sa.”

The gumiho fiddles with the hem again, and her fingers find a sliver of exposed skin on Kai’sa’s abdomen and starts tracing it lazily. Her stomach tenses at the heated contact, and one hand has already moved its way up, cupping the gumiho’s burning face.

Ahri hums, leaning her cheek against Kai’sa’s hand. She waits expectantly, glancing up through her lashes with a look so deliciously _sultry_ on her face, and Kai’sa can’t think through this blur when the heavy scent surrounding them is intoxicating and makes her focus spiral.

Ahri's low, heady purring rumbles against Kai’sa’s hand on her cheek and settles like molten honey in the bottom of her core.

Her other hand rises, just brushing past Ahri’s cheek.

It trembles as it comes up to her own lips -

She bites the back of her own hand, _hard_.

The shock shoots through her like white, hot electricity, and the brief moment of control Kai’sa grapples back is enough to stagger away from Ahri. The gumiho blinks in surprise, then whines lowly, her ears flattened against her skull at the withdrawal.

“No.”

Kai’sa is breathing, hard, as she shakes her head furiously, breaking away from Ahri’s gaze. Her hand is burning, but she relishes in the pain for once, as she takes another step back.

“Not like this.”

From her peripheral, she sees Ahri still at the words for the first time. Kai’sa’s body burns hotly, and her flitting eyes instinctively wants to settle on the gumiho, but thankfully the contemplation is shattered when she hears Ahri keen. The dancer hears her finally crumpling back onto the bed.

Ahri groans, and Kai’sa can hear the familiar rustling of limbs against the bedsheet. She doesn’t look up however, overwhelmed with the thought of having to meet Ahri’s eyes again.

“I-I’ll leave these here.” She swallows, kneeling down to pick up the dropped bottle of water and placing it back onto the bedside table, as well as the pile of fresh towels. The dancer blindly picks up the wrapped ice pack and puts it on the edge of the bed where Ahri can reach.

“Ahri, I’ll come back soon, okay?” It comes out as a shaking whisper. She clears her throat and repeats with much more conviction, promising, “I’ll come back.”

She doesn’t hesitate to stumble out of the room and closes the door behind her. The groaning sounds becomes muffled once again.

The flood of cold air is welcoming. Kai’sa’s head feels too heavy on her shoulders and her body is covered in a layer of sweat that chills against the cool air, but the raging fire in the pit of her stomach still lingers mutely.

She weakly brings up her throbbing hand to see she’s bitten hard enough to draw blood. Kai’sa doesn’t know how she’s going to explain to her manager about this one.

For now, she just really needs a cold shower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably safe to say the rating has gone from T to M with good reason.
> 
> Not much to say, except thanks for waiting, and thank you for reading as usual:)


	4. Smouldering

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience.

Ahri rolls over with a hum. The morning sun tickles her face in kind strokes through the blinds.

Her hand draws the blanket closer to her and sighs. She is nuzzling into the pillow, breathing it in, as her tails swish against the expanse of the bed. Everything is cosy and warm, and Ahri idly enjoys the faint smell of peaches from the pillowcase.

It reminds her of a certain someone.

Ahri’s fingers twitch. Then her face contorts.

Fragments of memories blur together behind her eyelids, echoes of disjointed jumble of voices. The hair on her back stands.

She frowns in her sleep, turning.

An indistinct voice is drowned in between the heavy pants.

Begging.

Is it hers?

She can almost feel the ghost of fabric under her fingertips, the flushed faces through her glazed vision. There’s a flurry of movements and the silhouette in front of her slowly sinks back into the shadows. Then a voice cuts through the darkness:

_“Not like this.”_

Ahri’s eyes snap open and she bolts upright, gasping for air.

She is shuffling backwards until her back finds the headboard of the bed, and she collapses onto it. Her heart is thudding against her ribs and the warmth gathered from the morning sun saps out of her slowly. The gumiho buries her face in her palms with a whimper, her tails coiling around her body.

Her memory fails her, but the way her chest is pressing heavily against her lungs isn’t comforting. Hot streams of shame coarse through her, and her skin burns like the night before, but for an entirely different reason.

Ahri presses her palms against her eyes harder with a withering groan.

How could she be so careless?

When she finally catches her breath, she absent-mindedly palms the bedsheets beneath her. It’s soft and dry, unlike what she last remembers from the night before. She squints against the sunlight reflecting against the white sheets and finally blinks slowly to chase the sleep away from her vision – and only then realizes, this is not her bed.

She scans the room warily: the neat rack of clothes hung beside the door and an acoustic guitar leaned against the wall. The dead giveaway is the lilac yoga mat in the corner – something Ahri recognizes instantly, gifted by herself. It doesn’t take long for her to recognize whose room this is.

“Kai’sa…?”

Her weak croak doesn’t travel far, left unanswered.

Ahri looks around. The only thing that catches her eye is a fresh bottle of water and a folded towel on the bedside table, set out neatly next to the lamp. She turns away.

She clears her throat, but her voice is still small as she calls out again. “Kai’sa?”

The name feels heavy on her tongue, and Ahri has to swallow thickly to push down the rising bile.

Ahri climbs off the bed and only when she moves, she realizes her muscles feel like liquid. Her head is dizzily light, and her knees almost buckles as she puts weight on her feet.

The vertigo settles rather quickly, but her vision still fades in and out in front of her. She has enough energy to muster to make her way out the room.

Ahri’s eyes narrow along the length of the hall when she peeks out of the room. All of the other doors are shut, except for her room at the very end. She can see her door still hanging open limply, the darkness inside lurking from the crack.

Ahri turns; she doesn’t particularly want to go back in there, not now at least.

Her feet pad along the carpet with a muted softness, and she is approaching the staircase when her ears finally perk up. Amidst the quiet, she hears soft snores, growing clearer with each step down the stairs. Ahri can’t help but feel a swell of warmth at the familiar sound coming from the living room.

And there Kai’sa is on the couch. She’s curled up in a foetal position, her lips parted slightly and dark hair coming down in loose locks.

Ahri hesitantly steps closer, her eyes darting around Kai’sa’s face to check for any visible harm.

When she doesn’t find any, she finally lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and drinks in the sight before her. Kai’sa’s long legs are tucked towards her, her body rising and falling ever so gently. Her skin is smooth and devoid of any worry lines, and the more Ahri looks – admittedly, stares – she realizes the sharp features of sharp eyebrows and high cheekbones all melt down to an innocently precious face of someone much younger.

Her eyes flit across Kai’sa’s features and traces the feathery lashes of her closed eyes, the incline of her nose, down to her red lips. She can’t help but note to herself simply attractive Kai’sa is.

(Objectively, of course. Nothing more to it.)

Ahri doesn’t have the slightest inclination to wake her up. In honesty, she’s a coward. A part of her desperately wishes anyone but Kai’sa saw what she was the night before. Now that it had already happened, she is too afraid of meeting Kai’sa’s eyes, scared she’ll see the all-too-familiar disgust that’s been directed at Ahri before, colouring her favourite pair of purple irises.

She kneels down in front of the couch. Her hands itch yet again to touch, caress the dancer’s face.

(She doesn’t though, just as any other time.

She doesn’t know if she will ever allow herself to, especially after what happened.)

As Ahri’s eyes idly trail down to Kai’sa’s hands that are cradled close to her chest, she notices something. She tilts her head, and frowns when she catches a glimpse; edges of band-aids peeking out, haphazardly stuck on to the back of one of her hand.

She shuffles closer to try and get a better look, and doesn’t notice the eyes blinking awake.

“Ahri?”

The gumiho mouth dries as her eyes lock in with Kai’sa’s purple ones staring straight at her. Her heart ricochets against her ribs and the previous wave of guilt is rocketing up along with embarrassment. The shame of last night detonates like a grenade inside Ahri.

Ahri stares at the ground, her ears flattening against her skull, and she suddenly feels infinitely small. Her tongue is twisted and can barely stammer out anything.

“I… I’m –“

Strong arms pull her into an embrace and suddenly all words are lost.

“Ahri. God, you’re okay.”

Ahri stiffens at first, her sensitive skin prickling against the contact, but doesn’t take long to relax against Kai’sa’s frame. Her face buries into Kai’sa’s shoulder and she’s engulfed by the strong scent of peaches just as sweet as from the pillow in the morning.

“I was so worried.” Her chest gives a twinge at that comment. Fingers stoke her hair, and with each brush the heavy tightness in her chest lessens.

When she pulls back, she’s taken aback at how soft Kai’sa looks at her. Kai’sa’s eyes don’t stray an inch away from hers, and it knocks the air out of her lungs the way Kai’sa holds her gaze in such a careful way, searching.

The brief silence makes her skin crawl and Ahri fights the urge to break their eye contact because she feels overwhelmingly undeserving of this affection.

Ahri’s ears twitch when they just barely catch Kai’sa’s words spoken under her breath: “Crystal blue, just how I love them.”

Before she can ask what that means, or utter _anything_ for that matter, Kai’sa is getting up from the couch.

“You must be starving,” she tuts. Kai’sa stretches her arms over her head and yawns. The action is so familiar, words tossed out so casually it almost convinces Ahri this is a regular morning in the K/DA household where everything is fine.

“I’ll make breakfast, do you want to go take a shower first?”

Ahri’s mouth opens, and closes. Her throat tightens.

She nods.

* * *

A shower was much needed, in fact. Ahri feels much more alive, her skin delightfully warmer than before and footing more grounded than before. However, her contentment is short-lived when she finally enters her room.

Her sensitive nose is immediately greeted with a waft of muskiness. Her face crinkles, sniffing, and glances over at her perfume stand. None of the bottles are out of their usual line; she tilts her head in confusion and wonders –

Oh.

She doesn’t sniff again.

Ahri stumbles through the dark room and yanks the curtains and windows open. The natural light floods into her room and she can finally fully take in the disaster laid in front of her.

To put it nicely, her bed is _shredded_. There is barely a spot of bedsheet that is intact, same goes for her pillows that are piled on the foot of the mattress. Thankfully, the damage is only visible on her bed, and the rest of the room is untouched. Though the sight of feathers bursting out of seams and exposed mattress foam peeking through the long claw marks doesn’t settle her either.

She looks at her fingers, where neatly trimmed fingernails are innocently perched. Her claws have long been retracted, but she still shudders at the memory. Then a thought occurs to Ahri and she pales.

What about Kai’sa?

She doesn’t have time to ponder how she’s going to fix all this; she’s already hurrying downstairs.

“Kai’sa.” Ahri stumbles into the kitchen and is met with Kai’sa holding a frying pan, plating an omelette onto a plate.

The dancer glances up and smiles cheerfully, unaware of Ahri’s distressed state, “Just in time! I just finished cooking your favourite, have a seat.” She balances two plates of omelettes on her arms walks past the gumiho to place them onto the kitchen island. She hums to herself while she organizes the cutlery on the side, and Ahri, standing dumbfounded at Kai’sa’s untroubled chirpiness, forgets what to say for the second time this morning. It’s only when Kai’sa pats at the table, looking over at her expectantly, she breaks out of her trance and nods dumbly, sitting down across from her.

Ahri stares blankly down at the food. Then looks up, realizing Kai’sa is waiting for her, and grabs a fork. She can’t deny it looks and smells great, and as she brings a bite up to her mouth, she sighs; it tastes just as amazing, if not better.

“I’m guessing it’s okay?” There’s a teasing smile adorning Kai’sa’s lips, and Ahri’s ears flick in embarrassment. She nods in approval which the dancer chuckles at before taking a bite herself.

There is a comfortable silence that settles as they enjoy their breakfast. However, it’s only a few bites in that Ahri’s insides lurch unpleasantly again, and she knows she can’t avoid it forever.

She puts down her fork, and it catches Kai’sa’s attention.

“Kai’sa, answer me honestly.” Ahri takes a breath and meets the girl’s studying gaze. She swallows and her skin prickles in anticipation, carefully choosing her words. “Did I do anything to you last night?”

“No, not at all!” The response bursts out instantly, surprising her. Kai’sa shakes her head, and Ahri’s eyes flit over her face desperately, scared to find any hint of doubt. As if sensing the gumiho’s scepticism, Kai’sa reaches out to touch her hand.

“You didn’t scratch a hair on me, Ahri. I promise.” Kai’sa’s words are firm, but it doesn’t convince her. Ahri lowers her gaze at their touching hands and sees it again. Two band-aids stuck poorly onto the back of Kai’sa’s hand, the edges almost peeling off.

She opens her mouth, but Kai’sa, having noticed her staring, is quick to explain. “That one is from myself.” She laughs softly, but Ahri doesn’t miss the way she retracts her hand slowly, under the table, out of sight. “It’s just a scratch. Don’t worry about it.”

Ahri frowns, her lips pursed.

Kai’sa interrupts her thoughts before she can ask again. “Eat up first, foxy. I know you’re barely finished,” she huffs, “C’mon, the food is getting cold.”

Ahri begrudgingly continues her meal, but her eyes flicker up at Kai’sa in between every bite. Her narrowed eyes are scanning all around the dancer’s face, her hand (the left one with the band-aids remain below the table, she notes), and any exposed part of skin she can see. Even as she observes unharmed skin, her insides refuse to unravel from its anxious spiralling. Kai’sa is either oblivious to her staring or actively avoiding her eyes, because she doesn’t look up from her plate until both of them finally finish.

“I’ll clean up, you can go have a rest.” Kai’sa is almost out of her seat when Ahri finally speaks out.

“No.” She clears her throat and stands up to grab the plates. “I’ll clean. You already cooked for us.”

“It’s okay, I can –“

“Besides, you shouldn’t get water on your scratch.” Ahri adds pointedly with a flick of her tail. “Which, I want to check on afterwards.”

The gumiho is already headed towards the sink she misses the way Kai’sa flinches at her last comment.

When she finishes, she turns to see Kai’sa still sat at the kitchen island rather than at the living room. The dancer looks unusually nervous, her eyes trained at her fingers fiddling in front of her on the marble counter. Ahri soundly drags up a stool right next to her, which snaps Kai’sa out of her preoccupation.

“Oh! You finished. Do you, uh, want to go on the couch and watch a movie?” Kai’sa’s hands fall to her side as she smiles nervously. “I also have your favourite tart I bought last night, we can –“

“Kai’sa.” Ahri says calmly. They both know what is left unsaid, and Ahri tries to ignore the way Kai’sa presses her lips together in a thin line. “Can I please see?”

Kai’sa stiffens, then quietly brings up her left hand. Ahri is tentative as she holds her hand up closer. She sighs heavily, because just as she expected, the wound is untreated. Knowing Kai’sa, she probably slapped on some band-aids and called it a day. There are smudges of red masked under the band-aids, which are barely clinging onto the skin by the edges of the adhesive.

She’s already made up her mind as she stands up. “I’ll bring the first aid kit, stay right here.”

Kai’sa visibly baulks, and then shakes her head, “No, really, it’s not a big deal. I’ll just change them later.”

“It _is_ a big deal to me. I’ll dress it properly.”

“Ahri, don’t worry about it –“

“Please, Kai’sa.” Ahri’s shoulders sag and she doesn’t mean to sound so desperate, but her voice comes out quieter, “Let me. It’s the least I can do for you.”

A beat of silence, and then clear defeat rings in Kai’sa’s sigh. “Okay.”

Ahri visits upstairs to retrieve the first aid kit and sets it on the counter back at the kitchen. She is back on her stool, and caresses Kai’sa’s injured hand with utmost care. Her thumb runs over Kai’sa’s knuckles and skirts the lifting edges of the bandages. She looks up once at Kai’sa, who seems to be frozen in her seat, her eyes trained elsewhere, then starts to peel them off.

A small part of Ahri already knew it had to do something with her.

Kai’sa’s nervous behaviour paired with her insistence in avoiding the gumiho’s attention on it was suspicious enough – what other reason would there be for Kai’sa to hurt her hand coincidentally the same night as her heat? In the span of going upstairs and down, Ahri had silently braced herself; that she was going to face the responsibility of the damage she inflicted to Kai’sa, regardless of how desperately they both danced around the topic since this morning.

But nothing – not even an inch of the mountain of resolve she’s steeled herself with – could have prepared her for _this_.

The round indentation of teeth marks. It’s not any shallow bite; the puncture is harsh enough to have spots of blood all around, scabbing in some parts.

Ahri blinks. Thick silence ripples through the air.

Ahri suddenly feels violently sick. A cold wave of mortification washes over her and she can do nothing but stare at the wound in horror.

Her head snaps up to meet Kai’sa’s nervous stare that had been watching her. Her lips tremble as she barely manages to breathe out. “Did I-I…?”

“ _No_. Never. Ahri, listen to me.” Kai’sa’s other hand comes up to cup Ahri’s hands that have started to shake without her realizing and squeezes tightly. Ahri barely catches the next few words through the thunderous blood pounding in her ears. “You didn’t do this, I promise you. This isn’t from you.”

“Then explain it to me, Kai’sa. How else can it happen?” The lump in Ahri’s throat doesn’t go down as she swallows, only digs into her windpipe deeper. All the bitter contempt and shame she harboured for herself since the morning and comes tumbling out of her harsh, sorrowful sobs, “You don’t have to lie for my sake, I know what kind of stupid _animal_ I am.”

“That’s not true –“

“I hurt you, Kai’sa.” Ahri says quietly and her eyes still trained on Kai’sa’s fair skin scarred with a ring of red. “As if just saying all those things and shutting you out wasn’t bad enough, I fucking _bit_ you like a feral dog. “

Kai’sa suddenly pulls back her hand to break Ahri’s gaze. “Ahri, listen to me. I bit _myself_.”

Ahri looks up in disbelief, but before she can interject, she’s startled at the hardened frown Kai’sa directs at her. Kai’sa takes that moment of hesitation as a chance to continue:

“I’m not lying.” Kai’sa takes in a long breath and squeezes her eyes shut for a moment “I was being stupid and because I thought I heard you calling my name at one point, I opened the door when I know that’s probably the last thing I should have done. I-I’m really sorry, I was just so worried about you. It was killing me to hear you in so much pain I just wanted to help _somehow_.”

Kai’sa stares downwards at her hands resting on her lap. “You were overheating, so I just did the best I could to help you cool down. I kept pushing my luck and stayed longer but then… Ah, well… You woke up.”

Her eyes peers up hesitantly to meet Ahri’s, and she whispers softly. “You called my name.”

Ahri’s stomach flips. “I… I did?”

“I met your eyes.” Kai’sa pauses. “And I couldn’t move my body.”

“No." Ahri searches for Kai’sa eyes in panic. "No it can’t be.” But the small nod of affirmation from Kai’sa wells up the terror in her pit of stomach and balloons against her ribs tightly.

She buries her face in her hands. “Kai’sa, please don’t tell me –“

“No, nothing happened. I – Actually…” Kai’sa realizes how starkly pale Ahri turns at her hesitation and waves her hands furiously, a blush spreading across her face. “No! Nothing did happen. I was… I…” She falters.

“My feet kept moving closer on its own and you asked me to… do something. Well – I almost didn’t make it out of your charm magic.” Kai’sa wrings her hands nervously as she confesses, her voice growing smaller and smaller. “I was able to snap out of it before anything could happen.”

“How – ?“

Then it clicks. Ahri’s eyes widen as she utters in disbelief: “You bit your own hand.”

Kai’sa starts nervously, “Like I said, it’s nothing bad. I’m just glad you’re okay. “

Ahri’s lowers her head. With unsure, quivering fingers, she reaches out for Kai’sa’s injured hand that sat on her lap and holds it. The other girl stops talking at the contact, and Ahri can feel her worried stare on her.

“Ahri…?”

Ahri is scarily quiet as she holds Kai’sa’s hand in one hand and opens the first aid kit with the other. Her movements are careful, calculated, but unhurried. That doesn’t mean she moves with ease either; her body is stiff, and the air between them is suddenly thick with tension.

Neither of them speaks as Ahri starts tending to Kai’sa’s hand.

Ahri doesn’t let go of Kai’sa’s hand, even as she rummages through the first aid kit. Nor does she look up to meet Kai’sa’s watchful eyes observing her.

It’s only when the swab of ointment touches Kai’sa’s skin does a hiss of surprise break it. Ahri’s hands still when Kai’sa gives a light flinch.

Then finally, she speaks.

Her voice is low, barely above a whisper.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. It was just cold.” Kai’sa says lightly, but frowns when Ahri still doesn’t move, her hand still rigid against Kai’sa’s. “Ahri?”

Ahri’s chest erupts into something hot and messy, finally releasing the only few words she’s been keeping buried inside. It comes out, a broken whisper carrying her equally shattered resolve.

“I’m so sorry.”

She has to clench her jaw to stop it from trembling so hard and she feels stupid she wants to cry when she has done nothing to deserve it. Her fingers are numb even as she holds Kai’sa’s warm hand – of which, she also realizes she doesn’t deserve to touch either.

And as if sensing Ahri is about to shrink away from her, Kai’sa’s hand holds hers firmly. It’s okay. Really.” Ahri hears Kai’sa’s soft voice from above. “It’s not your fault. I don’t blame you for any of this.”

The knot in Ahri’s chest tightens because _of course_ Kai’sa says that. When she finally meets her eyes again, there is the same soft look Kai’sa had in the morning, if not softer. Holding all the warmth in the world Ahri can’t fathom deserving, directed at her – and only her.

(She can’t withstand all of that. No, she doesn’t deserve it. She will never.)

Ahri reluctantly steadies her gaze back down. She continues applying ointment on Kai’sa’s hand. The hefty weight against her ribs has lessened slightly but still gives a dull throb in the corners of her chest.

“You should’ve just left me alone.” Ahri mumbles, setting down the swab. Her words have no weight of blame, mere half-hearted comments. “It would’ve been for the better.”

“I know it was reckless of me. And Evelynn did warn me. A lot.” Kai’sa chuckles lightly. Then she pauses, taking a breath, “But I couldn’t just leave you. You sounded like you were in a lot pain, and I-I… I was terrified. I was so scared for you.”

Ahri’s ears flattens as she whispers weakly, “It’s just been a while. I wasn’t used to it.”

Kai’sa breathes in. “So, this wasn’t the first time.”

At Ahri’s lack of response, Kai’sa winces.

She finishes applying new bandages to Kai’sa’s hand. Yet Kai’sa’s hand still grasps Ahri’s in hers, and Ahri doesn’t pull away either, loosely clutching on. Her eyes stay trained on Kai’sa’s thumb soothingly rubbing the soft skin inside her wrist.

“Ahri, we care about you.” Kai’sa’s sigh lands heavy on Ahri’s ears but she doesn’t reply. “ _I_ care about you. I wish you would let me help sometimes. Even if I can’t help... At least let me be there for you.”

Ahri’s insides churn when she sees the sad smile Kai’sa directs at her.

“It’s not your problem to worry about.” Ahri tries.

“It _is_ a big deal to me.” Kai’sa suddenly says with a strangely high-pitched tone. Then Ahri scowls, realizing Kai’sa is mimicking her in the morning, with the exact same words she said.

Kai’sa grins when Ahri huffs, ears flicking in annoyance. “I do _not_ sound like that.”

“Yes, you do,” Kai’sa laughs. “You’re just mad I’m calling you out for hypocrisy. I know you’d do the same for me if I was in your position.”

Ahri stares, and in that moment, a spiking chill shoots through her. The foreign, raw sensation she recognizes as _vulnerability_ rushes down her spine like an electric current – because Kai’sa is right. She would without a single doubt, drop everything to help if she heard _anything_ had happened to this girl in front of her.

Then the realization of how much she cares about Kai’sa hits her like a truck it leaves her reeling. She has to hold her breath to collect herself, but before that, she just takes in the present sight; the crinkle of Kai’sa’s playful eyes as she tilts her head. The curve of her lips as she gives Ahri’s held hand a small squeeze.

Ahri can’t help but squeeze her hand back and there’s a bloom of warmth that spreads through her at Kai’sa’s smile widening before her. Then Kai’sa says the three words that are tickling the tip of Ahri’s tongue out loud for her:

“I love you.”

Ahri’s face instantly colours. Her jaw unhinges.

She blinks, almost convinced she’s the one who said it, until Kai’sa, realizing what she’s just said, starts to wave her other free hand rapidly.

“No! I mean, yes. Wait, no, I do love you but I – I meant it as,” Kai’sa’s face is suddenly engulfed in a deep shade of scarlet, spreading from her neck and colouring her ears brightly. “As friends! As my teammate and my favourite gumiho and our leader a-and…”

Ahri’s lips can’t help but crack into a smile at Kai’sa flustered floundering. She wants to take a picture of this moment and hold it close to her forever; beautiful, stupid Bokkie who is too sweet for her own good, holding her hand, blabbering like a fool. She laughs, because everything just seems so _right_ at that moment.

A small part of her thinks maybe it is.

“And?” Ahri prompts. Kai’sa falters, noticing Ahri’s teasing smile.

A blush is still prettily dusting her cheeks as Kai’sa groans. “You know what I mean.”

Ahri doesn’t think twice to bring up their conjoined hands between them. She presses her lips against the back of Kai’sa’s hand, just above the knuckles and below the newly placed band-aids, and lingers, before whispering with a smile.

“I love you too.”

Ahri briefly wonders if there is too much truth in the way she said it, the way it hangs in the air loud and clear in bold letters – but then she thinks the way Kai’sa’s face goes another shade darker, seconds from combustion, is so worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> before anything: no it's not finished! it's looking to be five chapters in total, so one last one coming!! thank you again immensely all for waiting. many things have been happening in my life as well as this chapter in particular being a headache to write out.
> 
> yes it's much more angstier and heartfelt that I recall ever it planning to be because ~~I'm a sucker for angst~~ I mean, ahah.... it just happened to unfold that way?
> 
> God.
> 
> thank you all again for the support, I hope my last chapter finds you sooner:)


	5. Rekindled

Kai’sa hasn’t moved from her spot since. Nor had a cohesive thought.

Who can blame her? Her brain is still deep-fried, and the more she thinks about the way Ahri’s soft lips felt on her hand, the way she said those words with a clarity unmatched to hers, her face goes warm all over again. Kai’sa thinks it’s a bit ridiculous, really, acting like a pubescent teenager at the smallest of contact – but when she thinks about how all this is from _Ahri_ , of all people, she thinks it’s reasonable to get flustered.

When her thumb rubs over the newly placed band aids, she has to bite her lip to stop the goofy grin tickling her lips. She can almost feel the ghost of Ahri’s cold hand caressing her warm one.

(Oh she’s got it bad.)

She’s at least grateful she is alone as she smiles to herself like a fool, Ahri having gone upstairs to put back the first aid kit and clean up her room. Ahri refused Kai’sa’s insistent offer to help her; she told Kai’sa it wasn’t going to take long, that it’d be better for her to stay downstairs. Kai’sa was still adamant, but when Ahri went pink in the face and mumbled something about the room smelling funny, Kai’sa took the hint and stopped arguing.

She can still smell the faint remnants of last night’s heady scent on Ahri’s body. It’s not strong enough to cloud her head but it makes Kai’sa’s chest weirdly tingly which she doesn’t find unpleasant. Kai’sa hasn’t mentioned it to Ahri though, not wanting to embarrass her.

Kai’sa decides to make herself busy before she lets the emotions take over her. She opens the fridge to find the strawberry tart she’s bought yesterday, relieved to find the dessert intact despite the hurry she was in. While Kai’sa plates the tart, her thoughts drift back to last night. The morning has been all a blur of unsaid words and emotional highs that Kai’sa almost forgets the reality of the situation. Ahri definitely seems much more alive than yesterday, but there is still a paleness to her complexion. And if Kai’sa was any less attentive, she would have missed how Ahri’s movements are stuttered and slow, lacking the air of certainty she always has.

The sudden worry of Ahri relapsing rises inside her. The concern balloons into something bigger when more unanswered questions start popping up in Kai’sa’s head: How did Ahri manage to get through this in the past? How often did she have to go through this? And what about next time, would it be the same all over again?

Kai’sa freezes. The thought of Ahri crying in pain alone in her room while Kai’sa was overseas, out of reach and oblivious, makes her stomach twist and jaw clench. Kai’sa knows she shouldn’t put any blame on Ahri – Kai’sa isn’t obliged to know everything about her – but she just wishes she could have known and helped sooner.

Not that she _did_ really help, Kai’sa thinks bitterly. A part of her thinks she’s made it worse, having made Ahri blame herself for the mess that Kai’sa is honestly the one to blame for. Even though Ahri didn’t voice it out loud at first, Kai’sa could easily see it in the gumiho’s eyes the moment she woke up. The fear mixed with guilt shining through the cracks of her facade, the hesitance in her every movement as if she was going to break Kai’sa if she made a gesture too big.

It’s an uncomfortable aura that doesn’t suit Ahri at all. Even if it did recede as Kai’sa told her again and again it was not her fault, Kai’sa wants to make sure Ahri doesn’t feel a single shred of guilt for all that’s happened by the end of the day.

Because Ahri deserves better.

The singular thought lingers in her mind as Kai’sa settles the large plate of dessert for both of them to share at the kitchen island. She pulls up the stool and sits, staring blankly ahead as she repeats the very words in her head.

Ahri deserves _better_ – and maybe that’s why Kai’sa hesitates. Why she avoids acknowledging the tickle in the corner of chest. Why she can say ‘I love you’ but has to splutter out a spiel of the words being strictly platonic straight after.

Kai’sa cringes at that particular memory, still fresh in her mind.

“Why the face?”

Kai’sa snaps out of her thoughts as Ahri’s laughter approaches her. Ahri has descended down the stairs with a large plastic sack of what seems to contain her shredded pillows and blankets. “You look like you ate something off.”

Kai’sa opens her mouth, then realizing she prefers not to bring up her embarrassment again, she closes it and shakes her head. Kai’sa quickly changes the topic and clinks her fork against the plate in front of her. “It’s nothing – but I did get something that tastes pretty good.”

She watches Ahri’s eyes drop down to the plate and her face immediately lights up like Christmas came early. Kai’sa automatically smiles at the reaction, suddenly very grateful of her decision to spend the extra hour to pick it up.

“Kai’sa! I didn’t think you were serious when you said you bought the tart. When did you get it?” Ahri’s already thrown the plastic bag off to the side and bounding up like an excited child.

“On my way home yesterday.” Kai’sa explains, but she doesn’t think Ahri is even listening as she takes in a mouthful and hums in pure delight. Kai’sa doesn’t have much thought to take a bite herself, too distracted in watching Ahri’s face melt in happiness – a sight that looks much better on Ahri than thinly pressed lips and twisting frowns.

“God, you’re my favourite person in the world. Did I ever tell you that?” Ahri mumbles around her fork, eyes closing.

Kai’sa’s stomach flips at that comment but she laughs it off. “I’ve been told. Especially every time I bring this specific tart for you.”

“Well, you are.” Ahri looks over at her, and the small smile she sends in her direction, nothing coy or teasing, makes Kai’sa’s knees go weak. She’s glad she’s already sitting down because she knows she would have embarrassed herself again if she wasn’t. Kai’sa just nods wordlessly in response and she has to avert her gaze because she thinks she’s going to burn up in flames if Ahri keeps looking at her like that.

Kai’sa takes a few bites as well, but she ends up just opting to watch Ahri indulge in the tart. She’s happy to see Ahri lively again, but her skin is still a noticeable shade lighter. The worries Kai’sa had been stewing alone surface again.

“How are you feeling?” Kai’sa asks as nonchalantly as she can manage, not wanting to disrupt the moment of content for both of them.

Ahri’s swaying tails pause momentarily, but continues to wave around when she replies, “I’m feeling okay for now. Just a bit lightheaded, but mostly okay.”

“Do you need anything? Do you need me to go out and get you something?” Kai’sa’s voice sounds more strained than she’s intended to, and Ahri catches it immediately, her eyes softening.

“Kai’sa, I’m fine.” Ahri says, offering her a reassuring smile. However, Kai’sa’s chest twinges at this familiar sequence of words.

“But you always say you’re fine even when you’re not.” Kai’sa mumbles out without much thought. She regrets it instantly the words leave her mouth though, watching Ahri’s face fall at loss for words. Kai’sa ducks her head. “Sorry, I-I didn’t mean it like that.”

There’s an awkward beat of silence before Ahri clears her throat. “No, you’re right. I kinda deserved that one.” Ahri places her fork down and takes in a deep breath. “I know I’m not the best at opening up and talking about… my problems. But I promise I’ll work on it. For you.”

Kai’sa perks up. She’s never seen Ahri admit fault so openly before. Kai’sa’s heart swells at the thought of Ahri finally letting herself be vulnerable in front of her – it’s a surprising development, but not an unwelcome one. “Promise?”

“Promise.” Ahri nods, and an unknown weight on Kai’sa’s chest lifts at the affirmation. “And I also promise you this time, I mean it when I say I’m okay.”

Kai’sa finally lets out a sigh of relief. She doesn’t think much about it as her hand rises up to place it on Ahri’s forehead. The gumiho flinches at first, but before Kai’sa can apologize or move her hand away, she leans against the contact willingly.

“You’re not burning up, but you’re rather cold now.” Kai’sa observes out loud, frowning. “Is this normal?”

“I think so.” Ahri shrugs. She doesn’t seem half as fazed as Kai’sa. “I don’t really remember if my temperature changed that much in between the days.”

“Wait.” Kai’sa’s hand drops back to her side. “Does that mean the whole thing isn’t over yet?”

At Ahri shaking her head, Kai’sa’s face drops.

Ahri starts to explain, her tone as casual as it gets as if she’s discussing about the weather, “The heatwaves come in intervals, but the whole thing lasts a couple of days in total. Don’t worry though, I can usually tell right before when it’s about to come. The first day is always the worst, but now it’s not going to be so bad.” Ahri pauses, her ears twitching, then adds as an afterthought. “…Comparatively.”

Kai’sa winces. “So technically, you’re still in heat.” Kai’sa almost misses the way Ahri’s face goes pink at the mention of the word.

Ahri nods, then notices the silence, and concern flooded all over Kai’sa’s face. She reaches out for Kai’sa’s hand with a sigh. “Oh Kai, don’t look so worried. I’m going to be okay.”

“It’s hard not to worry.” Kai’sa admits. She watches silently as Ahri’s fingers interlaces with hers and in reply, her thumb traces circles on Ahri’s soft skin. She doesn’t say anything for a while, and Ahri lets her be. Ahri’s hand is still dinstinctly colder than Kai’sa’s, but she decides it’s better than the heat.

“You can use my room.” Kai’sa finally says quietly.

Ahri glances up at her, an eyebrow arched. Her voice is lilting and unconcerned, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “Not happening. You’ve seen what happened to my bed.”

“I don’t mind. I don’t want you to be there on your ruined mattress. Besides, you said it wasn’t going to be as bad.”

“I can’t guarantee no claws.”

“I can go buy a new mattress with you, then.”

“You’re going to need your room.”

“Not really. Plus, the couch is pretty comfortable.”

Ahri’s expression drops with each reply and her face scrunches, pouting, seemingly frustrated at Kai’sa’s counters she didn’t expect. Kai’sa smiles to herself. How cute.

Ahri huffs, shaking her head furiously. “I’ll just put a blanket over my mattress, it’s not going to matter. I’m not letting you give up your room for me.”

“Ahri, I just want to help out as much as I can.” Kai’sa pleads. She pauses, then adds quietly. “I understand if you don’t find my room comfortable.”

“No, it’s not that.” Kai’sa tilts her head in confusion. When there is no further elaboration, Kai’sa opens her mouth to insist further until she notices Ahri’s eyes dancing everywhere around the room but on her, her cheeks suddenly a hue of dark pink. It’s only then the realization hits her over the head that Ahri is _flustered_. Such a rare sight has Kai’sa dumbfounded, her words stop short on her tongue.

“I-It’s not like I don’t appreciate your offer but…” Kai’sa is too distracted to notice Ahri’s hand slowly slipping away from her grasp. Ahri’s lips purse, and twist, then open again. “Kai’sa. I don’t know if you realize but like, I, uh, I’m in… heat.”

Kai’sa blinks. She does register the words, but she doesn’t grasp why Ahri puts heavy emphasis on what is already established information. “Uh, okay? I’ve, um…” She clears her throat. “I know, yeah. What’s wrong?”

“Just, I…” Ahri sighs noisily. “I’m going to be on your bed when I’m…” She lets out a frustrated, strained noise, waving her hands wildly, as if that was going to fill in the missing blanks.

Kai’sa tries to decipher the string of sounds then her mind helpfully supplies her memory; a distinct scene that was seared in the back of her skull. Kai’sa recalls the fuzzy darkness inside of the room, the hallway light barely shining from faraway through the crack of the open door. And Ahri on the bed – sounds of panting and whining cutting through the thick air. The way her wet clothes clung onto her sinfully tight. Her eyes closed, reddened lips parted and her legs shifting restlessly against the damp sheets, and –

Kai’sa gulps.

She knows her face is now as red as Ahri’s, if not darker. She tries to mentally block out the image, shove it back into the corner of her mind, and there is thrashing in her lower stomach she desperately attempts to quell, but it hits her hard and heavy. Well at least now she knows why Ahri is so reluctant.

Ahri finally breaks the silence before it can stretch out into something inevitably awkward. “So, um, I’m not sure if you’re going to be comfortable with the idea of me on your bed. Please, feel free to reconsider.”

Kai’sa understands her embarrassment. But moreover, she realizes Ahri’s hesitance comes from concern for Kai’sa more than anything else. Throughout the morning up until now, Ahri has always put Kai’sa first. To Ahri, it was always about if Kai’sa was hurt, or if she was comfortable.

Then Kai’sa also realizes she’s no different – it has been all about Ahri to her. Their stubborn streak is uncannily similar, and it almost makes Kai’sa laugh out loud when she makes the connection. She doesn’t find it frustrating, no, actually, she feels giddy at the thought of Ahri caring about her, and it makes her stomach tingly and her cheeks warm.

“It’s fine. I just want you to be able to rest comfortably at the end of it all.” Kai’sa replies simply in the end. She watches as Ahri’s face flashes with a mixture of emotions, mouth gaping open but nothing coming out. Then Kai’sa catches the way Ahri’s features soften, and she stares at Kai’sa with that burning, intense look again that sends fireworks off inside her.

“You’re too sweet.” Ahri sighs in defeat, but Kai’sa catches how her eyes shine with something unsaid.

“It’s the least I can do for you.” And really, it is. It’s barely a grand gesture. Considering Kai’sa only found out yesterday, she can’t imagine how many years Ahri’s been able to keep this from everyone in her life and deal with everything alone. “I just don’t understand how you… how did you manage to… before…” Kai’sa starts but doesn’t know how to continue, stumbling to choose her words.

She wrings her hands nervously, then gives up, deeming her curiosity not worth the embarrassment for both of them. “You know what, never mind it was a stupid question – “

“How did I manage all these years?” Ahri verbalizes her question instead for her. A humourless, dry laughter escapes out of Ahri’s lips. “I don’t know, honestly. Every time I’ve been through it, it’s all a blur.”

“Do you remember anything at all? Even from last night?” Kai’sa can feel her neck warm at the mention of yesterday again but she doesn’t show it.

There is an unreadable flicker in Ahri’s eyes, but Kai’sa blinks and it’s gone instantly, and she wonders if she’s imagined it. Ahri shakes her head, “Not really, nothing specific. It comes and goes, and the only thing I remember is it being a pain in the ass. I guess suppressants and locked doors usually did the job.”

“Suppressants?” Kai’sa echoes, frowning.

Kai’sa can tell that was a slip of her tongue in the way Ahri tenses at the word, her tails going still. She internally scolds herself for being so nosy, and is about to brush the topic away, when Ahri merely nods instead with a heavy sigh. “Suppressants are exactly what you think they are. I’ve been taking them since our debut. That’s why you never knew anything about… all this. Until now.”

“Is that safe? To take them for years consecutively?” Kai’sa scowls at Ahri’s lack of response. “ _Ahri_.”

“God, you sound like Eve sometimes.” Ahri laughs but doesn’t quite meet Kai’sa’s eyes. Her tails swish low and she drums her fingers against the marble top, then confesses quietly. “No, not really.”

Kai’sa just lets out a long breath. Ahri’s ears flatten, sensing her disappointment. Her voice crawls smaller, and Kai’sa has to strain her ears to hear her. “That’s why I was planning to get it over with while I was home alone this break.”

“Ahri, what if something did go seriously wrong? None of us would have known.” Kai’sa pouts.

Ahri doesn’t respond, then when she finally meets Kai’sa’s look of disapproval, she merely shrugs with a weak smile and Kai’sa doesn’t know if she wants to smack her own forehead or Ahri’s for being so careless. She settles with a flick on Ahri’s forehead.

“Ow!” Ahri’s hand comes up to rub at the attacked spot and whines. “What was that for?”

“For making me worried sick.” Kai’sa grumbles, but there is no bite in her words. They’re long past playing the blaming game, and Kai’sa is frankly more grateful that at least now, Ahri is sharing these things openly, true to her previous promise.

Kai’sa stands up to grab the plate – that’s been demolished clean, she notes with a smile – and cocks her head over to the living room. “Enough of this. Come over to the living room to watch movies with me? We can throw popcorn and boo at terrible actors.”

Ahri visibly brightens at the suggestion, her gorgeous, sweet smile adorning her face again. “I like the sound of that.”

* * *

When they come into the living room, Kai’sa plops on one end of the couch, and looks at Ahri expectantly, who hesitates, shuffling her feet awkwardly on the spot, before settling next to Kai’sa. There is a noticeable gap between them but Kai’sa doesn’t question it – she has noticed the flinching reactions every time she initiated any physical contact. It feels odd, with her side empty without Ahri cuddling into her like usual, but she doesn’t say anything.

They end up picking out a god awful romcom movie where the punchlines don’t make sense and there is more popcorn thrown than eaten only fifteen minutes into the movie. And much to Kai’sa’s delight, it doesn’t take long for Ahri to slowly ease her way closer and closer with each passing minute.

By halfway through, Ahri is snuggling with Kai’sa, an arm looped around her middle loosely, and her giggle at another terrible joke rumbling Kai’sa’s side.

Kai’sa hasn’t been following the movie for a while now, ever since Ahri’s body leaned against her close enough for the familiar hint of cherry blossoms to tickle her nose again. Her mind has been preoccupied in fiercely blocking out the scenes that come along with it, playing on repeat in her head tauntingly. Her face hasn’t gone alight yet, but now with the new thought of Ahri on _her_ bed this time, her throat feels like she’s swallowed a nest of hornets. Kai’sa can’t tell if Ahri is paying attention to the movie any more than she is, but she silently prays Ahri doesn’t turn to face her anytime soon.

Suddenly, Ahri speaks, breaking the silence between them. Thankfully, her gaze is still trained on the screen ahead of them. “Kai’sa, I have a question.”

“Mhm?”

“This morning, when you were telling me about how I charmed you.” Ahri’s hand finds hers again, her fingers brushing against the back of the bandages gently. They seem to be doing a lot of hand holding today. “You mentioned that I asked you to do something…”

Kai’sa is distracted from the tickling contact on her hand. “Yeah?”

“What was it?”

Ahri’s question lingers in the air for a full second or two. Then the words sink in, and when it does, it completely catches Kai’sa off guard she has to do a double take. Her jaw hangs open, her eyes widening comically large. The gumiho idly skims her knuckles with feathery touches, completely oblivious that right next to her, Kai’sa’s face is almost exploding from the rush of blood that burns her ears brightly.

Kai’sa’s fingers are stiff against Ahri’s innocent touches. She can only manage a nervous laughter that sounds half-strangled in her ears. “Nothing serious. Why, um – why do you ask?”

“I was just curious.” Kai’sa sees Ahri’s ears flick dismissively. Kai’sa is about to finally let out her breath she’s been holding until Ahri continues. “So, what did I say?”

Kai’sa chokes.

Ahri looks up at the sound, and finally takes in the blushing mess Kai’sa is right now. She starts giggling, sitting up to face her. Kai’sa is sure she’s about to pass out one of these days from how easily flustered she gets.

“Oh my god baby,” Ahri coos, and Kai’sa half-heartedly swats her hands away that reach up to prod her flaming cheeks. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one embarrassed right now?”

“Shut up.”

“You’re adorable.”

“I swear you do this on purpose to get a reaction out of me.” Kai’sa huffs, rubbing her own cheeks in hopes to cool it down.

Ahri hums with a smile twitching her lips. “Maybe. No actually – yeah, most times.”

Kai’sa grunts. She thinks the subject is dropped and turns to face the screen again – but Ahri isn’t finished. Kai’sa feels a tug on her finger, and she glances back to the gumiho still staring at her.

“I lied when I said I don’t remember anything from last night.” It comes out in a slow whisper.

Kai’sa raises an eyebrow.

“I don’t remember much detail, trust me.” Ahri’s crystal blue eyes are suddenly boring into Kai’sa’s and her muscles go rigid like she’s back under Ahri’s charm all over again, and every word uttered from Ahri’s mouth dissolves into white noise. “But I do remember hearing one thing.”

Kai’sa, confused as to where this is going, just stares at her blankly.

“You said to me, ‘Not like this’.”

She did? Kai’sa frowns, trying to recollect her memory.

Then it comes.

And –

Ah.

“It’s been on my mind since I woke up.” Ahri continues innocently. Her voice is light, and she still fiddles with Kai’sa’s fingers distractedly, while Kai’sa can sense the heat rise back in her cheeks. Ahri’s next words are barely audible over Kai’sa’s heart pounding in her throat, roaring blood in her ears.

“What did you mean when you said that?”

“I…” Kai’sa’s skin is prickling in the quiet that ensues. In the split second of pause, a range of emotions, from panic to despair to downright _humiliation_ , shoot through her. She silently – desperately – wishes the couch would swallow her up whole. Kai’sa’s gaze doesn’t settle at one spot, even flitting for a trace of _anything_ in Ahri’s eyes that will maybe give her even an inkling to what is the next right thing to say, but when all Kai’sa finds is the unblinking, wide eyes staring at her, she knows she is completely cornered.

Kai’sa opens her mouth. Then closes it. Then she opens it again.

“Well. You asked me to, um, touch you.” Kai’sa starts shakily, swallowing the lump in her throat. She tries to gauge Ahri’s reaction, ready to shut up at the first sign of embarrassment from the other girl, but when Ahri’s just looking at her, unfazed, Kai’sa realizes she’s the childish one who can’t bear to handle the truth. She takes a deep breath through her nose and continues with a more collected calmness, forcing her façade to mirror the other, cool and unbothered – though she knows it’s anything but. “Then you asked me to kiss you.”

Before she can stop herself, she’s waving her hand around frantically to add on, “I knew you didn’t mean it though! You weren’t thinking straight.” She cringes as she drops her hands quickly. Then mumbles out, “So, I said that – that I wasn’t going to kiss you. Not like… Not like that.”

“You didn’t want to kiss me because you knew that was taking advantage of me.” Ahri clarifies. Then there is a pause so frighteningly long Kai’sa squeezes her eyes shut and she turns away.

Kai’sa knows the obvious part isn’t said, and it’s only a matter of time until Ahri calls her out on it, clear and loud and out openly.

And she does: “But you do want to kiss me.”

The words hang heavy between them.

Raw and exposed, no ridiculous excuse in the world to save her anymore. The nudging in the corner of her chest doesn’t seem so pleasant anymore in the possibility of everything crumbling down in the next few moments.

Kai’sa can only nod.

Suddenly, an overwhelming urge to apologize surges through her – this is probably the last thing Ahri needs when she is in the middle of her heat. A stupid confession that was going to make Ahri uncomfortable in her own house, as if she wasn’t already going through so much already. Cold dread spikes up Kai’sa’s spine and she worries her lip, struggling to find the right words to maybe wave the whole thing away as a joke before the rejection can come – when she feels a hand cup her face.

“Kai’sa, look at me.”

Ahri is waiting for her, crystal blue eyes endearingly soft. Kai’sa’s breath hitches.

Is Ahri’s face closer?

It can’t be.

“Do you still want to?”

Kai’sa blinks. “W-What?”

The end of Ahri’s lip quirk into a smile, but there is not a trace of teasing in the way she caresses Kai’sa’s face. “Do you still want to kiss me, silly.”

She stares intensely at Kai’sa. _Waiting_. Kai’sa’s insides twist when she catches sight of Ahri’s tongue wetting her bottom lip and only then it crashes onto her – oh _god_ , this is real.

This is happening.

“Yes.” Kai’sa answers, breathless.

Kai’sa is still half-dazed, wondering if she’s under a spell, even as Ahri’s lips press gently against hers. It’s soft and slow at first. Ahri’s lips are full and warm, despite her hands being cold, and much softer than Kai’sa has ever imagined it melts her brain into a puddle. The kiss is more chaste than not, and when Ahri pulls back in what seems like only a few seconds of contact, Kai’sa realizes she hasn’t been moving, the shock of reality only receding now.

“Kai’sa, I hope you know,” Ahri whispers, every word landing hot and heavy on Kai’sa’s lips as she leans in closer. Their foreheads touch, and Kai’sa can only stare at offending lips she wants to devour. Properly. “I am _not_ blaming my heat for this. I have always wanted to do this. God, Kai’sa I’ve wanted you for so long.

And that does it.

Kai’sa is now the one cupping Ahri’s face with both hands and kissing her, _hard_. Ahri lets out a muffled yelp in surprise which quickly melts down into low moan when Kai’sa sucks on her lower lip. Ahri moves hungrily in response, her hands falling from Kai’sa’s face and settling on her waist. Despite Ahri’s impatient whines, Kai’sa takes her time, giving a nip to Ahri’s lip, followed by a quick lick to soothe the sting of the bite, and then kisses deep and languid into Ahri’s mouth. She savours the way Ahri tastes like chocolate on her tongue and revels in Ahri keens against her mouth that vibrates straight up to her skull.

Ahri’s hands fisting her t shirt with increasing urgency and Kai’sa can feel Ahri shiver under her palms as her tongue strokes against hers. Ahri lets out another mewling moan that punches Kai’sa’s lower belly and a hand finally reaches the sliver of skin exposed under the bunched fabric.

Ahri’s fingers creep against her abdomen, and when her nails scratch against Kai’sa’s tensed abs, it takes all of Kai’sa’s willpower not to pin this woman down on the couch and rip off her clothes. No, it takes all of Kai’sa’s to notice something other than arousal flaring up her skin – Ahri’s hand is _hot_.

As if on cue, Ahri pulls back.

Kai’sa frowns immediately, worried something is wrong, but can’t form any words when she fully takes in the sight in front of her. There sits Ahri, who looks deliciously dishevelled, all reddened lips, blown pupils and her cheeks a pretty shade of pink. The fact that Kai’sa is the one who made her like that only erupts the heat in her belly tenfold.

“Jesus Christ.” Ahri still sounds breathless, and Kai’sa can’t help but feel a twinge smug. “Who taught you how to kiss like that?” Kai’sa’s lips twitch into a smile but doesn’t last long when she notices something else.

Ahri’s irises aren’t blue anymore; it’s a distinguishable hazel colour. Only a few more shades away from a familiar shade of bright honey gold.

Ahri, noticing Kai’sa’s widening eyes, sighs. She nods reluctantly to confirm Kai’sa’s suspicion. “I think it’s best if we stop now. I should head to the room.”

Kai’sa swallows hard, nodding. She watches wordlessly as Ahri run a finger through her hair and rise from the couch. Then something goes off in her head.

Kai’sa opens her mouth. Then snaps it shut.

No. Yes. _No_. But what if –

She rubs the back of her neck as she clears her throat sheepishly. “Ahri, maybe I can –“

“No.” The reply comes so quickly Kai’sa is almost offended, but Ahri shakes her head firmly. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re not ready for just because I’m…” She trails off, her lips pursing.

“I’m okay with it, as long as you are.” Kai’sa argues, even as her cheeks burn saying it out loud. Ahri as well seems to darken at her words. She seems to contemplate for a beat, and it’s enough for Kai’sa’s chest to leap at the prospect, but much to Kai’sa’s disappointment, she shakes her head again.

“I don’t want us rushing into things just because of this.” Ahri mumbles. Her ears flatten against her head as her voice goes much quieter. “I don’t want to ruin what I’ve been waiting for all these years.”

Kai’sa’s vehemence disappears instantly at the words. She softens. “Ahri, nothing can ever ruin this. I’m always going to be here for you, no matter what happens.”

Ahri nods but doesn’t say anything. Kai’sa decides not to push it further. She rises from the couch. “Here, let me at least help you get settled in my room.”

* * *

Ahri sits on the edge of the bed awkwardly as she watches Kai’sa come in and out of the room, each time with something new in her arms. Thanks to Kai’sa, the bed is quickly laid out with fresh sheets and pillows, and a spare blanket is also folded neatly on the foot of the bed. By the bedside table, there are two bottles of water as well as a stack of towels. Ahri tries to stop Kai’sa each time but she mumbles to herself about something Ahri might need, and the dancer is already out in a hurry.

Kai’sa only stops after one more trip to the kitchen to retrieve an icepack, when she notices Ahri is now curled up on the bed, her face visibly contorted.

“Oh god.” Ahri can hear the distress in Kai’sa’s voice, and her feet shuffling against the carpet. “I-I’ll… I’ll be right outside. Please, let me know if there’s anything else you need, okay?”

Ahri wants to tell her not to worry and shoo her away further, but in the end, she just barely manages to mumble out a thank you.

The door clicks close, and Ahri is alone. She repositions herself on her side, letting her tails sprawl out and hugs a pillow closely to her body. The heatwaves are intensifying, surging up her body in thick, hot tremors. It travels in the familiar aching throb that rattles her core, and leaves her muscles twisted with pain, but compared to last night, Ahri dare say it’s comparably bearable.

Ahri closes her eyes, sighing slowly and tries to relax her tensed body. Maybe it’ll be okay this time.

She takes a deep, steadying breath – then the scent of peaches floods her sensitive nose without any warning.

The smell has her mind reeling suddenly, and the remnants of the heat in her lower belly rise up like a wildfire in her veins. The scent reminds her of only one person, and the mere thought of her makes Ahri’s stomach clench in a way unexplainable. Deep, aching waves rack through her body but now on top of that, there is the rush of blood heading straight down between her legs, igniting a different type of fire.

Ahri can’t stop the loud groan escaping pass her lips at the sudden sensation. It echoes particularly loud in the empty room, and she really hopes Kai’sa isn’t behind the door to hear this.

Another sniff, and she can only smell Kai’sa, and even behind her eyelids, she can see Kai’sa. Kai’sa. Kai’sa. Kai’sa. The vision of the girl’s purple irises staring at her, her lips swollen from the bruising kiss, drinking in every inch of her hungrily even after they pulled away made her lower belly coil violently tight. Ahri still feels the lingering heat of the kiss on her lips and it has Ahri wondering what else that girl’s tongue can do –

Ahri screws her eyes tight. She bites her bottom lip, hard. There are already beads of sweat on her forehead from the sweltering heat swallowing her whole, and her face only flushes deeper at the intrusive thoughts.

Her legs shuffle and rub against each other. Ahri catches herself before her hips instinctively jerk against another pillow that her legs have wrapped around, yearning for friction down where the heat has settled its heavy, beastly weight.

She has to remind herself; this is Kai’sa’s bed. This is exactly what she didn’t want. Ahri buries her face in a pillow to stifle her drawn out moan. It does muffle effectively, but she forgets about the scent – the damn sweet smell of peaches is in her nose again and snakes its way up her skull and makes the world spin.

No. But Kai’sa did say she didn’t mind – no, no she can’t. She shouldn’t.

The fire in her belly has expanded into something uncontainable in the short moment Ahri has chosen to ignore it. It licks tantalizingly upwards, and Ahri is blinded by white, hot arousal engulfing her body, a fire bigger than the aching pain.

Her mouth moves on its own accord.

“Kai’sa.”

Her voice is a pathetic mewl, muffled against the pillow. Dignity and uncertainty all out the window – Ahri doesn’t think twice as she calls out again louder; clearer.

“ _Kai’sa.”_

Ahri’s ears are ringing but she makes out Kai’sa’s voice behind the door. “Ahri, what do you need?” Kai’sa’s reply comes almost immediately that Ahri knows she’s just been waiting outside for her, but she doesn’t have it in her to dwell on the fact right now.

Because right now, Ahri just needs _her_.

“Can you come in?” Ahri’s voice is husky, cracking in the edges of its syllables and leaking her desperation through.

Ahri realizes Kai’sa hesitates – uncertain if this is her gumiho magic speaking – but the impatience erupts out of Ahri before she can stop it: “ _Please_ , Kai’sa.”

The door opens instantly at the words. Ahri doesn’t have the energy to sit up, her eyes still squeezed shut. Instead, she’s hugging the pillow as if her life depended on it, her hips pressed against the pillow but tensed in place to refrain herself from rutting.

Kai’sa’s footsteps approach the bed. “What’s wrong?”

The side of the mattress dip under her weight. “Ahri, what can I get you?” Ahri can hear Kai’sa’s voice laced with concern above her.

“I-I’m sorry, I really didn’t want to ask,” Ahri pants out heavily, muttering a string of curses when a particularly heavy wave lurches through her torso. She finally cracks open her eyes and sees Kai’sa’s hand mid-reach for her hair.

The sight of Kai’sa gives her a surge of energy. Hunger so vicious that it grapples all of her senses and blanks her head. Ahri grabs Kai’sa’s reaching hand and yanks her towards her. Kai’sa squeaks in surprise, completely toppling over onto Ahri at the loss of balance.

When Kai’sa’s front comes flush against Ahri’s, Ahri almost moans out loud, right in Kai’sa’s ear.

“Oh my god, sorry, I –“ Ahri feels Kai’sa scrambling for purchase to push herself off of her, but Ahri wraps her arms around Kai’sa’s neck, tighter. Kai’sa stiffens above her.

When she feels Kai’sa’s knee brush past lightly against her groin, she hisses. She’s getting more desperate, her voice cracking. “Kai’sa, I just need you really badly.”

Kai’sa swallows audibly. “A-Are you sure? I thought – “

“Just, I – god please, touch me everywhere.” She pants heavily against Kai’sa’s ear. When she feels the knee in between her legs again, she bucks up shamelessly, and keens at the pressure finally relieving the tight heat in her stomach slightly, but not entirely enough. She does it again, and when Kai’sa catches on what is happening, and willingly presses her knee upwards, Ahri whimpers as the friction makes her see stars. She knows Kai’sa can feel the wetness through her pants, because then she hears a hoarse, “Jesus, Ahri.”

“Kai’sa, _please_.”

Then she feels strong, warm hands hold her waist firmly. Kai’sa’s voice is noticeably an octave lower, husky and it elicits all kinds of emotions inside Ahri.

“Don’t worry, I got you baby.”

* * *

( +1)

Evelynn pinches the bridge of her nose, chasing off a migraine from the sleepless flight she’s had to endure. Her driver manages to make it back to the K/DA manor in neck break speed, mostly due to her threats she’s slipped under her breath. She doesn’t think she’s ever seen him go so pale – she might have to give him a bonus for this.

Finally arriving, Evelynn flings open the door. Her golden eyes narrow as it scans around, observing warily. She saunters cautiously into the kitchen, then around the living room. Where was Kai’sa?

She finally arrives at the staircase, bracing herself. Her lashers are ready at bay, poised in a menacing arch in case she has to pin down a rabid fox jumping at her throat.

Then she sniffs.

Then she hears it.

Evelynn almost questions her sanity.

Until she hears it again, Ahri moaning out Kai’sa’s name like a prayer, loud enough for it to ring across the house and straight into Evelynn’s poor, unprepared ears.

“Fucking hell.”

Evelynn storms out and swiftly opens the door to her driver’s car. The driver looks up, startled at her abrupt return. She hisses at the driver “Book me the nearest hotel, _now_.”

* * *

( +2)

“Yo Bokkie, what’s with all the claw marks on your shoulders?”

“Umm… I-I –“

“Darling, don’t ask her.” One of Evelynn’s lasher’s flick Akali on the head.

Kai’sa looks away nervously. Then she catches Ahri’s stare across the room and sees her mouth “sorry” but her following grin is anything but.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ah so this one was quite longer, much more than I've anticipated (inconsistency woohoo) but I hope it is worth the wait. I'm sorry if there's disappointment at the lack of... explicit finale, but I've always envisioned the ending from the start, and even still now, as something not too explicit because the story's focus has been more on the angsty dynamics of Ahri's 'heat'.
> 
> but enough of that blabber!! I just want to say thank you so much for sticking with me, it's been an awful while I've written anything for that matter, and it has been very heart-warming to receive all the love and support for what started off as self-indulgent writing for two dorks. this fandom is absolutely brimming with support and hype, especially on twitter (yes, I am lurking. silently.) it makes me laugh out so hard, and want to stick around forever.
> 
> I don't want to make any promises though, I am a full-time student who is starting to drown as one does in uni. but maybe ill write a thing or two when I have time. 
> 
> (maybe a separate sequel that's more... e... e-e-...explic.. no I can't even say it.)
> 
> but until then, stay safe, have a lovely day, and thank you again.


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